It's slowing down...

Since classes started on Wednesday, not a lot has been going on.  We have class Monday through Friday. I have two classes which are from 9 till 12.  I usually go to eat lunch with my friend Lindsay at the cafe where we usually sit with Caitlyn and Christa.
On Wednesday evening Caitlyn, Christa, Lindsay, and msyelf went into Central London to a movie theater near Covent Garden and saw a movie called The Angle's Share. It was a Scottish movie recommended to them  by their tour guide when they were in Scotland.  It was a pretty good movie, but it was really hard for me to keep up with because the accents were so thick.  It was like they were speaking a different language! After that we went to McDonald's. It was my first experience with American fast food in Europe and was pretty much the same. The cashier was kind of condescending, though. Condescending people is something I have become more accustomed to while being here as it seems most British people don't really like Americans.  It seems like they tolerate small groups of Americans better than large ones though.
Thursday Lindsay and I went into Central London after lunch to buy tickets for a musical.  We were debating between Chicago, Rock of Ages, Wicked, and Phantom of the Opera.  We decided to see Chicago this week and Wicked sometime before we leave. We were both kind of disappointed by the show.  It was awesome except that the stage was not designed for musicals, so it didn't have a pit for the band so they had to be on stage. That left little room for props or scenery.  The music, choreography, singing, and acting were great, though and that's all that matters I guess. Raza Jaffrey from Smashed played the part of Billy Flynn. It was really cool to see someone live who is from TV.
Also last night I found out that my Uncle Quinton died. It's been a hard decision wether to stay or to go home, but after talking with my mom and various other family members I've decided to stay here.  It's still really hard to be away, though, as I feel I should be there for my family.
Today has just been kind of hard dealing with my family's loss, but friends have made it easier to deal with.  I spent most of the day after class just hanging out in my room. Later, we got pizza and have been watching movies since then. Well, maybe something exciting will happen over the weekend to help me feel better and to give me something to update you about. Until then, please keep my family in your prayers as they go through this hard time. Stay tuned.
XOXO

Been Busy

It's been crazy here in London which has made me too busy/tired to be able to/want to post recently! It's been a fun (yet exhausting) few days of excursions, but classes start tomorrow.  /:  We will be taught by teachers from Jacksonville University (Florida).  I will be taking 2 classes and am very happy they're both done by 1:00.
Let's see... I think I last posted about our tour of Central London.  Well, the next day we went to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle.  Both of those were really cool.  For some reason, I imagined Windsor as being a modern castle, but it is definitely not.  It is so huge and is inside a really cool little town.  The town has all kinds of shops and restaurants; it's definitely someplace I'm going to try to go back to visit.  Stonehenge was neat.  There wasn't a lot to it, but just knowing the history behind it made it cool.

The next day -- Sunday, I believe -- was the Diamond Jubilee Celebration.  That was really fun and I (sort of) saw the Royal Family.  I was standing near the River Thames where the Pageant was taking place but wasn't quite close enough to see into the river, so I had to watch on a big movie-like screen.  It was really cool and I was super excited to see them! I didn't stay too long there, though, just because of the amount of people.  I have learned that I get anxious when I am so surrounded by people I can barely move! haha.

Yesterday we went to Westminster Abbey.  It was awesome! So many of the monarchs are buried there.  I was astounded by all the history surrounding me! The architecture there was beautiful also! AND that's where Prince William married Kate and where Princess Diana's funeral was held.

Then today we visited the Tower of London.  This is the second time I have been there and was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I don't remamber liking it very much the first time, but I found it interesting today.  After that a few of my friends and I went to King's Cross Station to find platform 9 and 3/4.  It was really cool and I took a picture. haha.

Other than that I have just been hanging around my dorm.  I didn't feel very well this evening -- I attribute that to the daily 50 degree weather and rain.  That's quite different from Alabama's 100 degree dry summers! I am liking it, though.  Right now I am waiting to Skype Jake so I can talk to him then go to sleep! Class starts at 9 in the morning.. I'm actually excited to have stuff to do. I'll probably get tired of it pretty soon, though! Well, hopefully I won't get lazy again and slack off on posting! haha
XOXO

Day 1

("Official") Day 1 in London is complete.  It is 8:40 pm and we just got back from our first day in Central London.
First off today we attended a presentation from one of the students here who deals with international affairs. After that we were lead by two student ambassadors around campus to find out where things like the washateria and  cafes are.  They were horrible because they didn't know anything.  The campus here at Roehampton is the prettiest campus I've ever been on! It dates back to the late 1800s and has a few ponds with ducks and lilly pads and flowers -- its just beautiful! I'll have pictures on my Facebook.
Next, we went on an open top bus tour, which was really fun, despite the fact we had a less than satisfactory guide.  I was at the very front of the bus too, so that made it even better.  We ate dinner in an old crypt under a church that had been renovated into a cafe... it was weird, but nice.
Now we're back at campus and I am about to make my second trip to ASDA (WalMart) to get things I forgot from yesterday.  It is about a 10 minute bus ride from here.  The worst part is having to carry all my stuff back!
Overall, just a great couple of days. Yesterday all we did was go to ASDA and eat pizza, haha.  Jetlag just about KILLED me! Tomorrow we will be leaving bright and early to go to Stonehenge (which ISN'T in Scotland, haha!) and Windsor Castle. Well, I'll post a few of the best pictures on here and the rest on my Facebook page.. Stay tuned!
XOXO

I'm leavin' on a jet plane....

The time has come for my departure from the great USA.  I am currently sitting in the airport in Birmingham (Alabama) awaiting my 4:45 flight.  Three hours was an excessive amount of time to be early, so now I know when/if I fly out of here again I don't need that long. I'm already missing my boo, but I'll see him in July when he comes to visit me in SPAIN!! (: That's what's gonna keep me going if nothing else! I am actually more excited today, now that I'm sitting here waiting anyway.  Thankfully I didn't cry too much when I had to leave Jake and Ben.  This is a very sporadic/frazzled post; it reflects my mood I suppose.  Well here's to waiting three more hours before leaving! Will update in Phili if I have time!
XOXO

Waiting game.

Nervous.

Well, tomorrow's the big day. I'll be leaving Tuscaloosa at around 11:45 with Jake and Ben taking me to the airport. My plane leaves at 4:45 for Philadelphia where I will have a 2 hour layover and after that I'll be in route for London.  I am really nervous now, actually.  I have a tendency to become very homesick and am afraid I'm gonna hate it.  I know I'll end up having a good time, but I'm anxious nonetheless. The universe is apparently on my side, though because of the fortune I got today at the chinese restaurant.  Well I suppose I'll wrap up... Please pray safe travels (for myself and those who will be traveling with me), for my nerves/anxiety to go away, and for homesickness not to hit me too hard.

XOXO

My fortune from earlier today held by my roommate, Jethro (Ben).

Flat Jethro

Well I will be leaving in less than two days! I am pretty calm right now, but I'm pretty sure I will start freaking out once I'm on the plane.  The whole point of this blog was to showcase my new friend Flat Jethro I felt sorry for my bff, Jethro (aka: Ben), since he can't accompany me, so we decided to create a Flat Jethro to come along instead.  We got this idea from an elementary school project we did based on a book called "Flat Stanley". I will take pictures with Flat Jethro at various points throughout my journey.  So, here he is....... FLAT JETHRO! (:

Places I've gotta go and things I've gotta do.

These are lists of some of the top places I want to go and things I want to do while in London and Barcelona.  The places and events are in no particular order.  The one for London does not include things I have already seen and/or plan to go back to (ie. Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminister, ect).  Since I have never been to Barcelona and don't know much about the place, my list for there may be underpar. I plan to update the list when I have completed the task.


In London:



1. London Eye 
2. Big Ben -- Check!

3. Globe Theater

4. Windsor -- Check!

5. Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience

6. See at least 3 plays/musicals

7. London Zoo

8. King's Cross Station -- Check!

9. Hard Rock Cafe

10. Abbey Road/Beatles Store

11. Take a picture in a phone booth

In Barcelona:

1. Picasso Museum

2. Guggenheim Museum

3. Tibidabo

4. the bars at Port Olympic (because apparently they're "pretty hopping" according to Trip Advisor.)

5. Montserrat

6. Ride a sailboat into the Mediterranean

7. Shop at La Rambla

8. A concert hall like Gran Teatre del Liceu 

9. Hot Air Balloon Festival in Igualda!
10. Beaches

If you have any other ideas for places or events please comment and let me know!