Italians, and Papers, and Plays! Oh my!

Hello friends!

It’s Saturday night and most of the group is sitting in the hotel....studying. It’s becoming glaringly obvious that our lives in London are coming to an end soon. This week has been crazy and enjoyable at the same time. 

As I mentioned before, we had our long “free” weekend starting last Friday!  So Friday afternoon, I boarded a plane in Standsted Airport headed to Rome!  Rome is nothing like I expected it. It was very tourist-oriented, which is not a bad thing always. I was armed with my Rome travel guide, and hit the Italian ground running.   The first night there, I had real Italian ravioli.  I can’t even explain how cool it was to see landmarks such as the Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, and just the Italian atmosphere in person.  No picture could capture the brilliance of the many (and do I mean MANY) churches that I went into over the weekend.  I had several cool moments where I just walked into a random church, and just had really cool alone time with God surrounded by the overwhelming sculpture and architecture. In just three days, I hit all the major sights, but mostly, ate a lot of really good food.  I think my feet still hurt from walking so much.  I may never go back to Rome, and that’s okay, because I checked a lot off of my bucket list that weekend.

Despite having an amazing time in Rome, it was such a good feeling to be back in London late Monday night (my flight landed at midnight and I got back to the hotel at 2:30am). I had really taken for granted being in a country where everyone spoke English and the bus system actually made sense. 

It was a calmer week on the school schedule, but only for one reason:  it was the last week of class and finals start next week.  It was also extra stressful because we turned in our huge art research paper at the end of the week. We had our final British literature classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and our last Art History on Friday.  It’s weird to think that I may never take another English course again.

Tuesday night was a highlight because I woke up at 4:00am to Skype into a Shawreth meeting back at MC.  I have missed my brothers so much and I can’t wait to get back to actually be at a meeting and make Hot Pocket runs with them.

On Wednesday, we boarded a coach and spent the entire day in Stratford, where Shakespeare lived when he wasn’t in London and is buried.  We ended the night by seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Richard III. 

Thursday night, we saw the new hit West-End musical, Matilda.  The playwright who adapted the show from Roald Dahl’s book came and spoke to our theatre class last week,so it was an extra special treat to get to see this show. It has been nominated for 10 Olivier Awards (British equivalent to the Tony’s) and is expected to premier on Broadway next year. I can see why!  This was one of the best musicals I had ever seen and the kids were so talented! 

Friday night, a friend and I got last minute tickets to Singin’ in the Rain, which is based on the movie. That was a fun night in the theater!  While it didn’t break any ground for being original or extremely moving, the dance sequences were so cool, and it actually rained on the stage!  They even handed out ponchos to the first few rows who got soaked. 

Today, we started off by touring Parliament which was a BIG deal. That is the equivalent of touring the Capitol building in Washington DC. We then took a train to Windsor to see Windsor Castle, which is the home of Queen Elizabeth II.  We were told that she was actually there today. I’m a little offended that she didn’t invite me to tea or something. 

Tonight, it’s a study night. I will probably stay up late tonight because it is Shawreth Formal in Memphis. I really wish I could be with my brothers tonight, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that God has us all in a specific place for a specific purpose. I hope they all have a blast.  Tonight is extra special because Shawreth is announcing who our new freshmen sweetheart is!  I know that she will be such a great addition to The Order!

 I’ll get up early in the morning and go to the early service at All Souls church, and then I’m hitting the books...well, note cards, all day in preparation for finals starting Monday and every day until Friday.  I will hopefully be able to update occasionally, but this will probably be my last detailed blog until I get back to the States!

Ciao!

How about a weekend holiday?

Funny story:  The internet at the hotel today has been non-existant. It's almost 10pm, and I'm propped up on a curb outside of a closed Starbucks stealing internet so I can give you guys a quick update.

My time across the pond is coming to a close rather quickly.  It’s been a really good and full week with classes coming to an end and gearing up for finals.  I will be doing something extra exciting this weekend, so I will not be uploading pictures or a blog until Tuesday, but more on that later. 

 Some highlights of the week have been...

....watching the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Sunday afternoon at Piccadilly Circus

...going to the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Trafalgar Square.

...thinking it was cool to hear the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, speak at the festival.

...having our last History of Science class on Monday.  (I mean...aww man...not really..this right brained guy is not sad to be finished with a science class) 

...touring St. Paul’s cathedral with Mrs. Rumbelow in our last London History and Culture class ( I really am going to miss this class!)

...seeing Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (the world’s longest running stage show) on Monday night.

...having TWO classes this week of my favorite class, theatre.  Although, I am seriously bummed that we will have no more class meeting of theatre. We still have two productions to see, but I’m going to miss my favorite class. 

...going to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London (a tradition that has carried on nightly for 700 years to lock up the tower)

...free ice cream from Dr. Parks.

...Ian bringing a very famous current playwright (who adapted Matilda from the Roald Dahl book) in to class today.

...attending an evensong tonight at Westminster Abbey.

So yes, the semester is finally seeming like the end is near. We will finish up British Literature and Art History next week and then have our finals the following week.  I’m pretty much done with my extra theatre outings (and my budget is grateful) except for seeing Singin’ in the Rain next week and Les Miserables again on my last night in London.  We will see two more productions as a class and have a few more day trips.  

But before that, I’ve got a big weekend ahead of me. Not only have I gotten the amazing chance to be in England and visit other countries like Scotland and Wales, but we have a free four day weekend, and tomorrow afternoon I will board a plane headed to Rome, Italy!

It doesn’t feel like real life.  I am so blessed to have this opportunity to not only live in another country for a few months, but to also get to take a few days in Rome. (Yes, my parents are so amazing for allowing me to do this.)  Four friends and I will get to Rome tomorrow night and won’t be back in London until late Monday night.  We have a pretty relaxed itinerary, but some definite will be seeing the Vatican (I’ll send your regards to the Pope), the Colosseum, the Christian catacombs, the Pantheon, and eat plenty of Italian food.  I’ll be sure to blog and post pictures Tuesday night!

Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about this weekend before I have to be chained to my notes studying for finals. 

There's no place like London

It's been great to be back in London this week!   I really can't believe how fast this week has flown by, and it makes me really sad to think how fast the remaining three weeks here will go.   Classes are back in full force (with more end-of-the-semester work) and we are all trying to fit in everything we possibly can into our last weeks here.  It's busy, but very eventful!

Monday, we saw The Lady from the Sea in Kensington.  Joelyn Richardson starred in the show (she is Vanessa Redgrave's daughter), and it was one of my favorite plays we have seen so far. A few of us even made an agreement to cut out sugar for a week...it's been pretty tough.

Tuesday, we had a theatre critic come visit our theatre class, and that afternoon, we took a trip to Kew Gardens (the royal gardens).

Wednesday was a free day, and what a day it was!   I actually woke up earlier than normal to go sit outside of the Adelphi Theatre 2 hours before the box office opened to try to get tickets to Sweeney Todd. And guess what, I got a front row ticket!  Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical of all time, so this was the highlight of the semester! I spent the rest of the day exploring parts of the city that I had not seen, and even getting pictures of some of the eggs I had not found.
Sweeney Todd was AMAZING. I would go so far as to say it was the best thing I have ever seen on stage.  It starred Michael Ball (who is a huge theatre and pop music star over here) and Imelda Staunton (who is best known for her role as Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter films).
There was a complete mob at the stage door after the show, but I managed to get both of their autographs and even a picture with Michael Ball!

Thursday afternoon after British Literature, we went to the Huntarian Museum.  This is a very medical-based museum with lots of...interesting items.  Who would have thought it interesting to put body parts, animals, and even some entire humans in glass jars (not to mention, the skeleton of the tallest known man) and put them on display for science?  I don't know, but it was something I would have never gotten to see otherwise...I'm still a bit queasy just thinking about it.

Friday, we had our first Art History class in a long while (which is not always a bad thing haha!)  After the class, we went to the famous Royal Albert Hall for the Classical Spectacular.  Now I know I used to be a music major and should love classical music, but I just don't. I wasn't looking forward to this, but I was blown away!  They played all well-kown classical music and highlighted it with laser light shows and fog.  The finale was the 1812 Overture, complete with cannons and people firing guns. What a Friday night!

Saturday, We woke up wishing that I was in North Carolina. One of my good friends, Mary Thomas (Mary Holloman now..whoop! whoop!) was getting married and half of my camp team from the summer was going to the wedding and spend time together. I really wished I could have been there, but the events of the day soon took my mind off of it! !e left the Celtic early that morning to meet Mrs. Rumbelow at the train station to get a train to Hampton Court Palace. This is the palace where Henry VIII and all of his six wives lived and the home a hedge maze.   On the walk home, I stopped by one of my favorite places, The National Theatre, and managed to grab a £5 ticket to a play that is completely sold out, Collaborators. I had to stand the entire show, and my legs are still sore, but it was definitely worth it!  I got back to the hotel that night to find that I had 13 letters and cards from amazing friends in Swannanoa, awesome brothers in Shawreth, and even a postcard from Sweden!

Today is a beautiful day in London.  I woke up early and went to Russell Square and read some scripture in 1 John that really inspired me where I needed it right now.  Even though St. Patrick's Day was yesterday, the city of London is celebrating it today. In about 30 minutes, I'm going to go to Picadilly Circus to watch the huge St. Patrick's Day Parade and then go to Trafalgar Square where they have a erected a stage for Irish bands and even turned the fountain water green!  Today is also Mother's Day in London, so Happy London Mother's Day to my "Mum!" I'm also going to tune into Pinelake's service and wash clothes before our group goes to a church service tonight.

Our free weekend starts on Friday, and about 3pm on Friday, I will board a plane and head to Rome until late Monday night!  That just doesn't even seem real.

In case you can't tell, I'm excited about what the next and final three weeks over here have in store!

Me with a goose from Kew Gardens

Imelda Staunton signing my program.

Michael Ball and I

Interior of Hampton Court palace

Mail from my amazing friends

Egg Hunt Update!

Here is a just a quick update on how my search for 75 eggs is going!  I've got three more weeks in London and 56 more eggs to find. Wish me luck!

Back from Spring Tour!

Hello friends!  I have been back to the Celtic from spring tour since Saturday night. I finally have the time to do a quick update on how tour went and what’s going on now. Almost every second of the nine days of spring tour were been filled with sightseeing, riding the coach while reading Harry Potter, or playing Mafia with the group. While I am very glad to be back “home” in London, getting away and seeing other new areas was a fantastic experience. Here is a little bit of what we got to do:

Friday:  We told our home stay family goodbye and somehow got our luggage from Muswell Hill to the Celtic.  Our first stop was in Coventry to see the ruins of the old cathedral bombed during the war.  After a few more hours on the coach, we stopped to see the Bronte parsonage (home of literature geniuses, the Bronte sisters) and walked around the Moors which inspired the setting for one of my favorite novels, Wuthering Heights. That night, we stopped in York to sleep in our really cool suite.

Saturday:  We had a full day in York!  Highlights include touring York Minster, walking around the walls, and just getting to relax and watch a bit of TV (in fact, I watched more American TV that night than I probably have since high school)

Sunday: We left York that morning headed to Scotland!   We stopped that afternoon and went across to Holy Island where we saw the ruins of an old church and played a bit on the beach. After stopping in a few places, we finally reached Edinburgh and had a nice meal at the hotel.  

Monday: The next morning, I woke up early because CentriKid announced team locations!  I am so pumped about serving on CK1 this summer! That morning, our tour guide (complete with a kilt) picked us up and took us around Edinburgh.  We saw the Queen’s Palace, Edinburgh Castle, and got to see where JK Rowling wrote some of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. That afternoon, Dr. Parks led us on a hike up a hill (that felt like a mountain) to Arthur’s Seat to get a good view of the city.

Tuesday: We packed up in Edinburgh and loaded the coach headed to the Scottish Highlands. Our first stop was at St. Andrew’s golf course, which is next to the beach where a famous scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed.  That afternoon, the highlight of the day was stopping at Lock Ness to try to spot Nessie...sadly...no luck.

Wednesday:  We arrived at the Lake District. We stayed at the sketchiest place I’ve ever been to, but it was right on a huge lake with mountains in the background, which made the sketchiness totally worth it.  

Thursday: Still in the Lake District, we toured Dove Cottage (where William Wordsworth lived and wrote) and did a bit more hiking. Trying to show off, I decided to jump on rocks across the river, but ended up falling in.

Friday:  We sadly said goodbye to our lake home, and loaded the coach once again in the direction of Caernafron, Wales, but not before stopping in Liverpool to see the Beatles museum and some of the “football” (soccer) stadiums and seeing the town with the largest name in the world. That night, we stayed in a charming bed and breakfast with a night full of karaoke and a nice meal. 

Saturday:  Our tour guide picked us up that morning and showed us Caernafon castle before we said goodbye to Wales.     Then, back to London.  Walking into the Celtic felt like walking back into our home.  It was a fun, exciting week, but it’s good to be back to the normal routine and life of London.

This has been quite a standard and boring blog post!  There was just so much that happened on spring tour that I couldn’t possibly go into detail or do it justice!  We started classes back on Monday and are now back in the full swing of finishing up the semester. It’s hard to believe I have been out of America for over two months, and that I will be leaving London in less than a month! The longer I’m here, the more I love it, but also, the more I miss home.  It’s really a feeling that’s unexplainable. But, I am going full-speed ahead taking advantage of every second of the time I have left here! 
 Today is our last open day, so it's pretty great! Most of us are finishing up a paper for one of our classes, then going to explore some more of the city and check out some museums today. I'm getting to see my favorite musical ever, Sweeney Todd, tonight, so this is one of the major highlights of my trip!
 I promise I’ll try to do a more interesting and meaningful update in the near future, and possibly a blog re-design soon.

CentriKid 2012

Drumroll please.........
I've been waiting for this moment since I left camp in August....the big news....my 2012 CentriKid team is....

I am absolutely pumped about serving on this team this summer!  I cannot wait for us to become a family and have an awesome summer serving Christ!