I can't believe that it is finally over! I know that I'm writing this rather late, but it still feels so fresh in my mind. Maybe I'm still in denial that it's over . . .
Well, anyways, it was an action-packed few days to the finish. Saturday was our food final, which was very Eddie's Million Dollar Cookoff. Six of us made gnocchi and wrote a paper about it, and you know what, we thought it went pretty well. Imagine our suprise on Monday night, when we got the grade back with a C+ on the paper! Since I played a big part in writing the paper, I was really upset, but one round of retail therapy with Genna and Kalais later, I felt a little stronger. We had a huge rant session with our group, which was not the most mature thing, but boy it sure helped! When we realized that it was a misunderstanding between what he expected and what he wrote, Heather and I got nominated to talk to him. After rehearsing my speech all morning, we presented and he agreed to change the grade to an A-! I felt so powerful! Yeah!
Not only was Saturday full of frustrating finals, but a lot of other running. We ran to Portobello Road to get last-minute Christmas presents. I was there on my first Saturday and my last Saturday. I hate closure, because it means that things are closed. Stupid full circle. I also got to see Chronicles of Narnia (AWESOME!!!), eat at Wagamama's, and go to Rutter's Christmas Celebration, which was a dream come true for someone who has sung in way too many Christmas concerts over the years. Sunday was our last week in the Mitcham ward, and I am really going to miss that ward. The people were so loving, caring, and accepting. They all seemed sad to see us go, even though they get new BYU students every semester. They taught me so much about acceptance and I hope to take that with me. We had our last African feast with Amma, the coolest young adult in all of London and all of her friends, too.
Monday, it was back to finals and fitting everything in last minute. Kalais and I went back to Kensington, where we'd been walking on our days off from Pilates to finally get the pictures we were too sleepy to get at 6:30 in the morning. Since they'd given us extra money, Genna and I went last-minute accessory shopping on Bond Street. Then, it was back to the center for our last chance at Yorkshire Pudding ( I will not so much be missing those oil-soaked bread baskets) and the long-awaited sleepover. It was great to have all of the girls together, and we kept wondering why we hadn't done it sooner!
Well, last day in London! I realized that I had never seen the changing of the guard, which is pretty much a big parade, but it's one of those things that you have to do in London. I took a brilliant spill up the escalator, but that's just another thing that's very "me". We also needed that last "London Tourist" shot at Platform 9 3/4, because what is London without Harry Potter pictures? And then, it was time to pack for hours and hours and make sure I didn't lose anything. Luckily, my luggage was light, and I wasn't sad to lose those painful food textbooks, but it was painful to see all the reminders of my trip get shoved into a suitcase.
The next morning started bright and early, as we took the tube back to Heathrow. I think that on the tube was the first time I really started to cry, because I realized that it really was all over. Luckily for me, I was on the "party flight", with about 15 of us on the same flight, and I was within talking distance of eight or nine different people in the long long lines at the airport and three on the plane itself. It was a good chance to say goodbye but still be having fun. We all went our separate ways in Chicago, with me and Abbi heading to San Francisco. The plane was grounded for 20 minutes, which isn't really that bad, but it was enough to drive me half insane. Luckily for me, the in-flight movie (Cinderella Man) was really good and kept my mind off of everything. My parents and James picked me up from the airport, and now I'm back home!
In conclusion, I must say that I really loved London. It gave me the opportunity to be away from almost everything familiar and comfortable and forced me to grow. I found wonderful and amazing new friends, I challenged myself academically, and I grew to love and appreciate London for all of its beauty and history. I found out that I want more education, I want to travel, and that I need to keep in touch with people better!
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Saturday, December 10, 2005
When it Rains, It Pours.
See, if you wait around long enough, I don't just post once, I post twice.
After that homework-filled post, I figured you might want to know what fun stuff I've been doing. So, here we go.
1) Going to the "Frost Fair". We were told that it was a big Shakespearean recreation festival, but the only thing Shakespearean about it was that it took place under the Globe. It was like our elementary school craft fair.
2) Spending £20 on dinner for foods class. While waaay more than I would usually spend, the food was pretty good (pumpkin pasta, chinese sirloin, chocolate tart) and I felt very grown up and fancy.
3) Getting to church without anything weird happening! Hip hip hooray!
4) Finally getting to the Banqueting House (Fifth time's a charm!). It was not that exciting, but Charles I was killed there. Isn't that cheerful?
5)Buying bath products at Lush. If you go to the website, you'll see why I was practically in heaven. (lush.com, but it's cheaper here). It was so much fun!
6) Going to Oxford. We got to hear a lecture from a Sikh woman about her experiences, and it was fascinating. The town itself is cool and very old, and almost made me want to go to Oxford. Then, I came to my senses and realized how pricey that could get. And also, it's more fun in Provo. I can't believe I just wrote that.
7) Going to concerts. This includes classical quartets and college choirs, but my fun experience was at the Morning Runner concert. Can you believe it? Quiet old Elisabeth, at a real concert. We went out to Camden Town, which is a little bit ghetto, to a place called the Barfly where Coldplay and Oasis used to play. The area was small and dark and LOUD! We had balled up toilet paper in our ears, and it was still really loud. Most of the people around us were drinking or smoking (including some illegal substances), so you can imagine I smelled great when I left there. The first band, Sunshine Underground, was "good for a first band", or so I am told. I enjoyed it. The second band, Absentee, reminded me of lumberjacks because they wore a lot of plaid and had really scruffy hair. Also, the lead singer had a very low, gravelly voice. During this set, this weird guy was about six inches away from my back blowing smoke in my face. I was NOT amused. However, this was all worth it for the last band, Morning Runner. Ana, you especially would love and adore this band. They were great! Great music, great performance, good rapport with the audience. I totally want to buy their CD when it comes out in February.
8) Shopping at cheap stores! Finally, five days before I leave, I found all the cheap stores. Figures... Oh well, found some cool stuff anyways.
9) Eating dinner with ward members. Our ward is so good and loving to us! They keep inviting us over for dinner, giving us presents, etc. I feel like I don't deserve this love and affection. I've been working in the nursery, not doing something amazing. My friend Kelli told me that I should take this experience and give back to someone else later, which I've been thinking about a lot recently.
10) Missing you guys and counting down the days! I only have 4 days here, you guys, and I will be back in California on Wednesday night!
After that homework-filled post, I figured you might want to know what fun stuff I've been doing. So, here we go.
1) Going to the "Frost Fair". We were told that it was a big Shakespearean recreation festival, but the only thing Shakespearean about it was that it took place under the Globe. It was like our elementary school craft fair.
2) Spending £20 on dinner for foods class. While waaay more than I would usually spend, the food was pretty good (pumpkin pasta, chinese sirloin, chocolate tart) and I felt very grown up and fancy.
3) Getting to church without anything weird happening! Hip hip hooray!
4) Finally getting to the Banqueting House (Fifth time's a charm!). It was not that exciting, but Charles I was killed there. Isn't that cheerful?
5)Buying bath products at Lush. If you go to the website, you'll see why I was practically in heaven. (lush.com, but it's cheaper here). It was so much fun!
6) Going to Oxford. We got to hear a lecture from a Sikh woman about her experiences, and it was fascinating. The town itself is cool and very old, and almost made me want to go to Oxford. Then, I came to my senses and realized how pricey that could get. And also, it's more fun in Provo. I can't believe I just wrote that.
7) Going to concerts. This includes classical quartets and college choirs, but my fun experience was at the Morning Runner concert. Can you believe it? Quiet old Elisabeth, at a real concert. We went out to Camden Town, which is a little bit ghetto, to a place called the Barfly where Coldplay and Oasis used to play. The area was small and dark and LOUD! We had balled up toilet paper in our ears, and it was still really loud. Most of the people around us were drinking or smoking (including some illegal substances), so you can imagine I smelled great when I left there. The first band, Sunshine Underground, was "good for a first band", or so I am told. I enjoyed it. The second band, Absentee, reminded me of lumberjacks because they wore a lot of plaid and had really scruffy hair. Also, the lead singer had a very low, gravelly voice. During this set, this weird guy was about six inches away from my back blowing smoke in my face. I was NOT amused. However, this was all worth it for the last band, Morning Runner. Ana, you especially would love and adore this band. They were great! Great music, great performance, good rapport with the audience. I totally want to buy their CD when it comes out in February.
8) Shopping at cheap stores! Finally, five days before I leave, I found all the cheap stores. Figures... Oh well, found some cool stuff anyways.
9) Eating dinner with ward members. Our ward is so good and loving to us! They keep inviting us over for dinner, giving us presents, etc. I feel like I don't deserve this love and affection. I've been working in the nursery, not doing something amazing. My friend Kelli told me that I should take this experience and give back to someone else later, which I've been thinking about a lot recently.
10) Missing you guys and counting down the days! I only have 4 days here, you guys, and I will be back in California on Wednesday night!
The English Muffin Goes Gourmet
So, umm, long time no post. Sorry about that. The line for computers can get a little bit crazy and I always felt bad about kicking people off of homework to update my blog.
Don't you all just love finals? I thought I might share with you the strangeness that is my finals schedule here, class by class. London Walks: no final. Hurrah! Religion: 25 question multiple choice and two-page comparative paper. I can deal with that. History of London: Journals (easy), three page paper about Parliament due after we leave (not bad, and done) and test on Monday (haven't even started studying.) Philosophy: He cancelled the test and moved the percentages over everything else, including my big fat terrible paper. Nasty. Now, for the true fun, ladies and gentlemen, I present my foods class: 93-page journals of my food experience for the entire semester. Time-consuming at best. Today's final (in an hour and a half) We have an hour to prepare and clean up a recipe. We're making potato gnocchi with tomato sauce with six of us. Then, we have to write up a tasting and a two to three page paper about the history of the dish. That's 10 percent of my grade. The journals are 90.
So basically, I have no idea what my grades will look like for this semester. But surprisingly, I really don't care. My grades were not the ultimate goal of this program, so I'm just happy that I've been here and classes are almost over!!! Good luck on finals everybody!
Don't you all just love finals? I thought I might share with you the strangeness that is my finals schedule here, class by class. London Walks: no final. Hurrah! Religion: 25 question multiple choice and two-page comparative paper. I can deal with that. History of London: Journals (easy), three page paper about Parliament due after we leave (not bad, and done) and test on Monday (haven't even started studying.) Philosophy: He cancelled the test and moved the percentages over everything else, including my big fat terrible paper. Nasty. Now, for the true fun, ladies and gentlemen, I present my foods class: 93-page journals of my food experience for the entire semester. Time-consuming at best. Today's final (in an hour and a half) We have an hour to prepare and clean up a recipe. We're making potato gnocchi with tomato sauce with six of us. Then, we have to write up a tasting and a two to three page paper about the history of the dish. That's 10 percent of my grade. The journals are 90.
So basically, I have no idea what my grades will look like for this semester. But surprisingly, I really don't care. My grades were not the ultimate goal of this program, so I'm just happy that I've been here and classes are almost over!!! Good luck on finals everybody!
Friday, December 02, 2005
And Then There Were Twelve...
So, I'm terribly sorry for not posting recently, but I finally got out of my illness-induced stupor and was blindsided by the crushing reality of deadlines. Yeah, I am not a big fan of homework. So, that post-Thanksgiving weekend was mostly marked by me sitting around in my pajamas, watching chick flicks and doing whatever easy homework I could (short walk in London, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire-chocolate history edition.)By the time I finally felt better, I realized that I have a fat ton of things due pretty soon. Yikes!!!!! So, I've been trying to fit fun things around my homework. Monday night, we went to go see And Then There Were None, which is my favorite Agatha Christie book EVER, and the staging was great too. I also had some fun that day just wandering around museums by myself. I really enjoy being able to do things independently.
Tuesday was marked by the Christmas lights in Trafalgar Square, which would have been cooler on a more impressive tree. Seriously, Norway gives England this tree to thank the UK for freeing them from the Nazis, and it looks like a giant Charlie Brown tree. Hearing the carols and hanging out with everybody was fun, though, and it put me in a nice Christmas mood. Wednesday, I saw most of Westminster Abbey and finally took my ride on the London Eye. That's the giant ferris wheel that was also on the Amazing Race, and you know my weakness for all things Amazing Race. Recently, I have mostly just been doing the last of Christmas shopping for my family, but it's fun.
So, what do you guys think of the nickname Libby? At least half of the people here call me that, and I've finally gotten really used to it. It almost might be weird to go back to being called Lis or Elisabeth. Ah, the fun of random nicknames.
You may ask, why eleven? The play title uses NONE, silly bean. Well, it's because I will be home in twelve days!
Tuesday was marked by the Christmas lights in Trafalgar Square, which would have been cooler on a more impressive tree. Seriously, Norway gives England this tree to thank the UK for freeing them from the Nazis, and it looks like a giant Charlie Brown tree. Hearing the carols and hanging out with everybody was fun, though, and it put me in a nice Christmas mood. Wednesday, I saw most of Westminster Abbey and finally took my ride on the London Eye. That's the giant ferris wheel that was also on the Amazing Race, and you know my weakness for all things Amazing Race. Recently, I have mostly just been doing the last of Christmas shopping for my family, but it's fun.
So, what do you guys think of the nickname Libby? At least half of the people here call me that, and I've finally gotten really used to it. It almost might be weird to go back to being called Lis or Elisabeth. Ah, the fun of random nicknames.
You may ask, why eleven? The play title uses NONE, silly bean. Well, it's because I will be home in twelve days!
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