The Final Weekend...

It's my last weekend here in London, and I couldn't have asked for a better one! All this week it has been sunny, upper 70s, and hardly a cloud in the sky (most of the time). It has also been surprisingly humid! I suppose that's because we're close to the river Thames...

We make sure to go out and sit in the sun at the park at least once a day, and walking around is a must! The weather is so nice you never want to stay indoors. Too bad it started to be this beautiful one week before we leave to go home!

My only big update is that this Thursday I went with some friends to see "Macbeth" at the Globe Theater (a reconstruction of where Shakespeare originally put on his plays. Remember the pictures from January?) We only paid 5 pounds for our standing room in the pit in front of the stage. This is where the "groundlings" would have stood in Shakespeare's time, and the 5 pounds we pay today is the equivalent of the 1 shilling (1/4 of a penny) they would have paid in Shakespeare's day!

It was a very interesting play, with lots of blood, gore, and murder. Very befitting the plot line! Our only complaint is that they didn't cut some of the boring scenes. Even Shakespeare would cut lines of his plays during production - and it seemed like this director didn't cut enough! But maybe that's just because our feet were really getting sore after 3 hours of standing.

The most interesting part of the production was the director's concept of the audience as the "Underworld". Everyone in the pit had to stand under a large black cloth with only our heads sticking out. We were literally "talking heads"! Of course, not being able to see your feet meant that the actors had a good time running under the cloth, poking, tickling, and popping out to scare the crowd. They even reserved holes for dead bodies to rise out of in the middle of the audience! Naturally you didn't know if or when a body would rise out of the hole next to you. It was spooky!

However, my favorite part of the show was at the end. A few of the actors were hiding next to me in the aisle, waiting to go on for the curtain call. They were supposed to be covered in mud and blood from the battle, but my nose smelled otherwise. As the show ended and the audience started to clap, I whispered to the actor next to me "You smell delicious!" and he laughed and whispered back "Thanks - it's all choc!" (Choc is British slang for chocolate) I guess the fake mud was actually chocolate powder mixed with chocolate syrup for effect! No wonder they all smelled so good...

So that's it, my last "Cultural Activity" for the term. The rest of this week is going to be buckle-down and working on the last bits of projects for final presentations. My last class is this Thursday and I fly home on Friday morning. I'll probably update one more time with a reflection over these past 5 months. Oh how they've flown!

I'll leave you with two pictures from MacBeth, showing the audience in the pit standing under the black cloth:

Weekend Adventure in Wales!!

As promised, here is the story of my awesome Weekend Adventure in Wales! This was a school trip organized by the University, so I went with 10 other students.

Day 1:
Getting there - We took a long 5 hour train ride from London to the western coast of Wales (Mathry, if you want to look it up on a map) and were then escorted to Preseli Venture Camp. This is a private adventure camp owned and operated by experienced guides. It's a very nice facility - with a big lodge with different rooms for guests, lots of nice clean bathrooms (shared by everyone), and a mess hall/lounge with games, a bar, and couches for relaxing. The whole place is situated in the middle of rolling farmlands with a great view of both the coast (20 min walk away) and the quaint town of Mathry on the hill. Meals were home cooked every night by a little Welsh woman - and the portions were huge! Over the weekend had vegetarian lasagna, chicken curry, Welsh stew, jacket (baked) potatoes, and big breakfasts. It was great to come back from our various activities and eat/drink/relax in the mess hall.
The Room - After arriving at Preseli we were assigned our room. There were 8 girls on the trip (plus 2 guys, and a faculty member)and all of us girls slept together in the same large "bunk" room. There were triple bunk beds as well as a loft! I, of course, took one of the top bunks. So much fun!
Exploring the Beach - After moving in we took a 20 min walk down to the private beach. Since there is no road access, only locals and Preseli guests use it. To get there you have to walk down narrow country roads and through a cow field... with cows! But the beach is GREAT. It was rocky and pristine. We spent the evening climbing on the rocks and generally having a good time before returning to the lodge for the rest of the night.
Click the picture below to see more photos from Day 1


Day 2:
Kayaking - For each of the days, our group was split up into smaller groups depending on the activities we wanted to do. I had originally signed up to go surfing, but the conditions were bad so our guide took us kayaking instead. We had single-person kayaks, which was nice because of the different skill levels, and lots of gear to go with it. Our guide, John, then took us to a nearby bay to paddle around. Unfortunately the tide was low and coming in, so the conditions weren't great. We couldn't paddle around the island because, with the low water, it wasn't an island any more! Plus the swells outside of the bay were BIG (8-10 feet), so paddling along the coast was a heart-racing roller coaster ride! I was having a blast, the waves were thrilling to ride on, but other girls who were less experienced were more nervous, so we returned to the bay to practice "riding the waves".
Hiking - After lunch and a quick shower, our group got to go on a hike along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. This is a trail running the length of the west Wales coast (Pembrokshire). The 7 mile section we walked had great, scenic views of the rocky coast on one side - and hilly farmland with lambs, friendly ponies, and cows on the other! There were fox holes, yellow gorse bushes, tons of sea birds (gannets!), and lots of other things to see. It was a great, relaxing walk back to Preseli from the drop point.
Fun at the Lodge - That night we stayed up playing board games, card games, and meeting the other guests. There was one other college group (5 friends from St. Louis) who was also studying abroad in London, so we even made new friends!
Click the picture below to see more photos from Day 2


Day 3:
Coasteering - This was the highlight of the trip. Coasteering is, essentially, climbing/swimming/exploring the coast and jumping off of cliffs! There was a lot of gear involved to protect us from the rocks and cold water (life vests, helmets, neoprene socks, two layers of wetsuit, etc.) but the fun made up for it. Our guides led us on a swim along the coastline, stopping to check out caves, tunnels, and natural canyons where the big waves carried us up/down and back/forth like a fair ride! It was SO much fun!! The best part had to be climbing up the cliffs and jumping back into the water. It sure took a lot of courage! Our biggest jump was about 30 feet, but it sure felt like more when you were standing on the top. At the end of the trip we swam/hiked/climbed our way back to Preseli for a shower and lunch.
Returning Home- After lunch we had to pack our things and, sadly, return to London via train. I was really sad to leave. The area was unspeakably beautiful, the weather was GREAT (especially the day we went coasteering, perfect!) and we had such a good time. I know I would like to return to Wales someday and spend more time exploring the small, quaint towns along the Pembrokeshire coast.
Click the picture below to see more photos from Day 3


So that's it! Thanks for reading about my fun trip to Wales. Only 2 weeks left until I return to Oregon! I'm so glad I got to take this trip before I left.

On the British Election...

Before I post my big Wales update, I thought I should give a brief note on the British Election. It works something like this...

- One month before the election, the Prime Minister goes to the Queen and announces he believes an election should be held. (Usually these things are planned in advance, and an election MUST be held every five years)

- The three main parties (Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Conservative "Tories") then have one month to campaign. This is usually a very quiet matter. Parties are only allowed to advertise via signs and billboards, and personal campaigning - NO TV or radio! And since most Londoners don't have cars or yards, there are few signs/bumper stickers around the city.

- Voting happens for only ONE DAY. So no mail in ballots! Voters must go to their nearest polling station (of which there are many) only on the day of the election. And, instead of voting for a candidate, voters choose their favorite party!

- The leader of the winning party (selected by party members) is then made Prime Minister, and the party also selects a cabinet for him. Seats in the House of Commons (Parliament) are assigned according to the percentage of districts who voted for a party. (For example, the party with the greatest percentage of votes will get the most seats in the Parliament House of Commons.)

- A party needs 326 seats to have a majority in Parliament. If no party gets 326 seats, it's called a "Hung Parliament". This happened THIS YEAR, and hasn't been seen since the 1970s. At this point, the three parties begin negotiating to reach a solution.

This year, because of the hung parliament, a lot of political negotiations took place. Both the Conservatives and Labour began courting the Lib-Dems, asking that party to "share" their seats. This is known as a coalition: two parties add their seats together to make the majority, with the larger party taking the most power. Gordon Brown and Labour said that, if the Lib-Dems joined them, Gordon Brown would step down as party leader. However, the Lib-Dems saw more opportunity with the Conseravtives, and joined them!

The current status is this: Labour (led by Gordon Brown) has left office and Conservative leader David Cameron has taken over. However, because of the joint coalition, some of the Cabinet seats are held by Lib-Dems, and Lib-Dem leader Clegg is "Deputy Prime Minister". It will be very interesting to see how these two parties - each with VERY different viewpoints - will compromise in power.

For a better understanding of how the coalition will work, I recommend reading: THIS ARTICLE from the BBC.

That's all for now, keep an eye out for my Wales Weekend Adventure, posted tomorrow!!

Update Before the Wales Update

Hello everyone, I know you may think I've been neglecting my blog - but I swear I haven't! It's just that not many interesting things have been happening this term. I suppose there are some short updates, but nothing big and not many touristy-trips around London (since I saw them all last term). BUT, I did just return from an "Adventure Weekend" in Wales, so I'll have a big post - with lots of pictures and stories - very soon.

In the meantime, here are some short updates from the past month:

- Dad and Anita came to visit at the end of April. We toured a lot of the major sites in London (Westminster/Big Ben, Covent Garden, St. Paul's, etc.) went to a pub on St. George's Day, and they ran the London Marathon. It was good to see some familiar faces in the city!

- On a particularly nice day I decided to go lay in the grass in the park. However, I ended up getting a big mosquito bite on my foot! I guess I'm not used to British mosquitoes, because the bite itched and caused my whole foot to puff up in an allergic reaction. So when people tell you there are fewer insects in Britain, just remember the ones that ARE there can bite!

- I took the bus for a quick visit to the Natural History Museum for a class project. On the bus ride home we got stuck in some major traffic, but gave us a chance to see the start of the Gumball 3000. I had no idea what it was at the time, and just thought it was cool to see all sorts of fancy-looking race cars driving down the street. I looked up the info later... The Gumball 3000 is a road-rally/race which travels 3000 miles around the globe. They start and finish in a different place, but the race is always 3000 miles long. This year the race started in London and finished in New York, so we saw the cars straight out of the starting line, on their way to the Dover ferry to France. After that they'd drive to Copenhagen, take a boat to Boston, and finally drive to New York. The best thing about the race is the cars. They have race cars, sports cars, and even funny cars like the Batmobile!

Other than that things have been based around school, homework, hanging out with friends (going out to dinner/baking cookies in the room), or running around the park. I'm really excited to go home: only 18 days!.

So be on the lookout for the Wales Adventure Post, coming this week to a blog near you!

A Long Overdue Update!

Hello family, I know it's been a while but I've been up to a lot of things. Most of this has been homework (my color theory class requires painting every other night!) and classes. But I have been doing some fun things too...

- My room mate, Katie, and friends Misty and Lauren have dinners or go out to see the sites once or twice a week. We had a delicious Easter Dinner with salad, chicken, mashed potatoes, and tasty desserts! It's great to have a close group of friends to hang out with and spend time doing "homey" things.

- I took a brief weekend trip to visit the boyfriend Stan at his home in Maryland. It was a beautiful spring trip, full of warm weather, sunshine, and fun adventures. We had a bonfire, went hiking, biking along the Potomac, and looked for fossils along the Chesapeake bay. I couldn't have asked for anything more - except maybe a longer weekend! Here's a sunny picture of us at the top of the cliffs overlooking Harper's Ferry:


- My friend (and former GW room-mate) Sam Tamboline is in town for her spring break. We walked around the touristy sites and also attended a celebration of Shakespeare's birthday at the Globe Theater. They had a free "open house" with demonstrations, exhibits, and workshops onstage. The weather couldn't have been better, either: 65 and sunny! I think I'm getting a tan again...

- A lot of you may be wondering about the volcano that's been erupting in Iceland. Here in England the only problems we're experiencing are flight cancellations. I've seen no ash in the sky or on the ground, there's no haze in the air (even on sunny days), and the sunsets are only a little bit prettier - that I've seen. That being said, a lot of plans have been disrupted by the ash in the upper atmosphere. People are stranded in Germany, Greece, and Sweden and have been unable to get rides back in time for classes tomorrow. The tourist industry really suffered this weekend because tourists couldn't fly into the city. On the other hand, hotels are booked up because business people can't leave! Trains, buses, and ferries are all packed with people trying to find other ways of getting out of the country. People like me, who are lucky enough to have nowhere to go, are just sitting tight and hoping that things clear up soon!

That's about it. In terms of school it's coming down to the wire! Mid-terms are almost over and there's less than 5 weeks before I'm flying home for the summer. I'm ready to be home, though, with free laundry, American food (tex-mex!), and a soft bed.

Bath, Hiking, and Boat Races!

As promised, here is the new post detailing my exciting week - with pictures!

First, on Friday of last week we took a trip to the town of Bath, about 2 hours away from London by bus. The town is one of the oldest cities in England, and was one of the largest cities occupied by the Romans in the early 1st century (that's 50AD!) The town is famous for being the only natural hot spring in all of the UK. Water seeps through the limestone ground, heats up, and is forced to the surface through a gap in the bedrock only in the town of Bath. The Celts and Romans both used the hot spring for bathing and healing purposes, as well as a site for religious worship. Over time the hot springs and bathing pools were covered up with rubble and built over. It was only in the late 1800s that the ancient baths and temples were rediscovered! However, even without the presence of the hot spring, Bath remained popular with the elite for summer holidays, social galas, and was even England's fashion capitol in the Victorian era! Our visit to Bath consisted of a tour of the town - where we got to see upper end Georgian homes where people like Jane Austen lived - a visit to the British Fashion Museum, and then an audio tour of the ancient Roman bath complex. I was impressed by how advanced the Roman buildings were for 76AD. They used lead pipes to carry hot water from pool to pool, had a system for heating floors, and even had the world's first hot tubs and massage rooms! At the end of our tour we had high tea (tea, scones, and pastries) in the "Pump Room" above the baths. We then took the long bus ride back to London to complete the day.



On Saturday, we took another school trip to go hiking in the Surrey countryside. Just like our hike the first term, this was a trek up and down hills through southern England, seeing farms, forests, and small villages. My friend Misty and I even took a daring trip across stepping stones through a river early in the day. Plus the views from the top of hills were great, and I particularly enjoyed a sunny lunch sitting in a tree! At the end of the hike, just before returning to the train station, we stopped in the small town of Mickle for pints of Shandy (lager and sprite) with the locals. Mickle is also famous for having a small cathedral built in the early 1300s!



The rest of the week I spent getting through classes and homework. I also moved rooms because my new room-mates and I had very different lifestyles and sleeping schedules. I'm so much happier now living in the flat with my friend Katie!

Today Lauren, Katie, Misty, and I went down to the Thames to watch the epic Oxford/Cambridge boat race. This is the "Superbowl" of collegiate rowing. The Oxford/Cambridge rivalry is legendary, and hundreds of thousands of people show up to watch the two crew teams battle it out. We positioned ourselves at the start of the race - with a great view of the boats as they first took off, and then moved to a big-screen to watch the finish. We actually got to witness a little upset. You see, Oxford has traditionally always won this race, and was favored to win today considering the water conditions. However, Cambridge won and even finished by a huge lead! People were excited and surprised by the upset. We were just happy to get to see history in the making! After the race we had dinner in Covent Garden before returning home. We're getting together for Easter dinner tomorrow - so I'll have more updates then!



In the meantime, enjoy the pictures above and talk to you all soon!

Note Before Next Post.

Hi Everyone, just a note before my next post: I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my Flickr photo albums can only show the 200 most recent photos. Any photos past 200 are archived, and unavailable for viewing. (Hence why you can no longer visit any albums before my spring break!)

This weekend I had the chance to visit Bath and go on another school hike around the countryside of Surrey. It was a busy, fun-filled weekend with lots of photos. Unfortunately, uploading these photos would mean my spring break photos would no longer be available. I want people to have a chance to look at the spring break pictures before they disappear!

So I'm giving you FOUR DAYS to look at the Spring Break photos before I upload the pics from Bath/Hiking. On Friday I will be posting last weekends adventures (with pictures) and some of the Scotland photos will no longer be available for viewing. Keep this in mind and check out the photos before its too late!

Of course, the blog posts will still be available for reading, it's just the pictures that will get archived. And if you want to see the pictures after they disappear, just let me know and I'll e-mail them to you. This is just a heads up before they start to be archived!