And So It Goes

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!