The world is not enough

Having Kara visit was so much fun! She arrived Friday night and we spent awhile talking before resting up for our big day in Brighton on Saturday. We admired the Pavilion and walked all along Brighton Pier, which is bigger than I realized. There are a couple of restaurants, lots of stands selling snacks and souvenirs, carnival game booths, an arcade/casino, and a midway at the end with rides (including one that swings you over the ocean. I haven't decided whether I would enjoy this or not.). It was fun to see the whole thing. We had fish and chips for lunch, which was delicious of course, and explored/window-shopped in Brighton for awhile. We also discovered a Unitarian church! It's at a really easy place to get to by bus, so I think I'm going to try it over Easter weekend, since I'll be back in Brighton briefly. I'm excited! Anyway, we were debating whether or not to go to Rottingdean for cream tea (we wanted to be back in time to go to a comedy show in Brighton at 7) because the bus we were planning to take was late, and then lo and behold, another bus appeared! It took the long route, but that's the one I prefer because you get great views of the English countryside, especially if you sit up top. Cream tea was food bliss as usual, even better than the first time I went to Rottingdean. I just don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I can't have clotted cream anymore.

After cream tea we went back to Brighton and poked around in some shops before going to Komedia, the comedy club. There was a huge line and it turned out that the stand-up show we wanted to see was sold out. However, there were (cheaper) tickets still available for something called The Treason Show, which was basically political satire (it was a British clone of Second City, for those of you who are familiar with that group). We had about an hour to kill before the show, and shops were mostly closed, so we just sat in the club and drank Strongbow blacks (cider with blackcurrant juice, aka delicious) and played Hangman to keep ourselves entertained. I got more of the British pop culture references in the show than Kara did, but we both enjoyed it, especially when the actors made each other laugh during the skits.

Kara had to leave fairly early on Sunday to meet another friend in London, so we didn't stay up too late after the show, but we did talk awhile and share some good YouTube videos. Needless to say, I laughed a lot that day. It was great to see Kara. I've made friends here, but there's nothing like having history with someone, and Kara and I have known each other since about middle school.

Well, after my seminar tomorrow I will be done with spring term! Next term I will only have one class (The Look of America), but I technically pick up another class and I have four assessments. The "technical" other class is Independent Research, so there's no lectures or seminars but we're expected to spend a chunk of time writing a critical response to a journal article in psychology (we can choose from three articles, all of which are very meaty - one is 80 pages long, but that's because it includes a couple dozen critical responses and the bibliography for the original article and all of the responses, so the actual article is about 20 pages long). Then I have papers for Art as Psychology and The Look of America, and an exam for Social Psychology. All of this will be done by June 4th, and then I have until June 24th to write the report for my research internship. In other words, I'm going to be doing a LOT of writing in April and May - about 21 pages, to be exact (though they assign papers here by word count, not page numbers). At first I had visions of spending the entire month cooped up in the library, which was enough to make me despair, but after doing some calculations I figured out that I'll be okay as long as I just work hard during the day and do some reading over break.

Speaking of break, I leave at the crack of dawn (literally... our flight is at 6:30, so we're getting a cab at 4:15... ouch) on Friday for Greece! Easter break is a month long, so I'll be traveling most of the time. Here's my schedule:

March 20-23 - Greece (Athens & Santorini)

March 23-29 - Italy (Rome, Florence & Venice)

March 29-April 6 - Germany (Hamburg & Darmstadt)

April 6-April 10 - Paris

April 10-April 14 - Brighton (taking a break from break, haha)

April 15-April 17 - Copenhagen

I'm very excited but I'm also getting nervous. After Greece and Italy I'm basically traveling by myself, meeting friends in the different cities, so I just hope everything goes smoothly. This time to travel was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Sussex, and though planning the trip was MUCH more stressful and took MUCH more time than I had anticipated, I think it will be worth it. It still hasn't really hit me that at this time on Friday I'll be in GREECE!

I really have no idea if/when I'll be able to update this blog while traveling, so you can just imagine me taking lots of pictures and eating lots of food wherever I am. :o) See you in April!

I found him!

I have a lot to catch up on, don't I?

Last weekend was sleepy but great. I say sleepy because it involved two early mornings: the bus left at 7:30 from Sussex for Stonehenge, and on Sunday we had to meet the rest of the Wash U group in London at 9:00, which meant another early train. I think I slept more during the week than I did that weekend.

On Saturday the International & Study Abroad Office sponsored a trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge is both frustrating and intriguing for its mystery. The audio tour went something like this: "These rocks are really old [they were abandoned the first time over 3000 years ago]. They're really heavy [some weigh as much as 45 tons]. We think they may have been used for worship or practical purposes [sundial]... but we don't really know. We think hundreds of men transported them over land and sea... but we're not really sure. OOH MYSTERIOUS." You listen to this audio tour while walking around Stonehenge in a large circle, all the while taking pictures of the exact same stones from several different angles because you think that they will, in fact, look like different pictures.

From Stonehenge we went to the city of Bath, aptly named as it is the site of the Roman baths. We toured the baths and then had a few hours to explore. The baths were a holy place for the Romans because they didn't understand hot springs and thought that only the gods could have created something like that. The hot springs are still operational - they heat the gift shop (Mom, you would have liked it). My favorite part was learning about the "curses" that have been uncovered during excavations. Disgruntled Romans would scratch their grievances on pieces of metal and offer them to Athena in hopes that she would take care of whoever had wronged them. The Romans must have had a lot of anger and not many problems to take them out on, because the curses included things like, "So-and-so stole my cloak. Please make sure that he loses an eye and an ear." Really, guys?

Bath is a lovely city that felt much older than Brighton, probably because it was. One of my group's last stops of the day was the Sally Lunn House, the oldest house in Bath, built in 1482. Yes, this house was built before America was discovered (ok, "discovered"). Apparently Sally Lunn makes famously good buns, but we didn't try any. We did, however, go into a chocolate shop that felt and smelled like you were walking into a mug of hot chocolate. I also resisted buying anything here. I did not resist buying a Nutella milkshake at Shakeaway later on. Nutella wins every time. Anyway, back to Bath being old and pretty. We walked along the river, passed a rugby team, and climbed up to the bridge to meet another group only to discover that they had climbed down at the same time. The area around the river was pretty well landscaped, and it was especially scenic with the abbey in the distance.

The next day Wash U sent us to Blenheim Palace and Oxford (thanks, Wash U!). Blenheim Palace was where Winston Churchill was born and spent a lot of his boyhood. It was also ridiculously large and elegant. There are three "entrances" before you go into the actual house (if you could even call it a house), and the very first entrance was covered in gold. Every room had intricate carvings in the walls and ceilings, sculptures, tapestries, the occasional organ, the largest private library in England, its own chapel, you name it. The grounds were gorgeous - there was a view of the river with a bridge over it as we first drove in that made me gasp. There were also some awesome gardens a la Versailles (but smaller) in the back, but unfortunately it started to rain around the time that I would have gone to explore them.

After Blenheim Palace we continued to Oxford. First we had lunch at a pub where CS Lewis and some other authors used to write, and then we took a walking tour of Oxford College. Oxford College is actually made up of 3o-something colleges (Harry Potter-style) and most of them are not open to the public, so we only actually saw about five and went into one, Christ Church. Christ Church is where portions of the Harry Potter films, including the Sorting Hat scene, were filmed. We visited the dining hall where it was filmed, and it looks pretty different because there are portraits on the walls of all the famous people who have graduated from Christ Church, including several Prime Ministers. However, the staircase leading up to the hall looks exactly the same. I swear I would have recognized it even if Angie hadn't pointed it out to us. The Harry Potter geek in me freaked out a little bit. OK, maybe more than a little bit. Not gonna lie, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Oxford was to see this. (Some of you will be amused to know that I was really tempted to start reciting Harry Potter's lines from the Potter Puppet Pals "Mysterious Ticking Noise": "I'm Harry Potter, Harry Harry Potter...")

The courtyards or quads that we saw at Oxford were somewhat reminiscent of Brookings, though significantly older (as everything in Britain is compared to in America) and, well, more impressive. (Sorry, Wash U. I still love you!) The place inspires prestige... or would inspire me to just sit in the courtyard and stare at the pretty views. Oops. Oxford is pretty formal - at least at Christ Church, students have to dine in their caps and gowns!

I decided to stay in Oxford after the tour group left for two reasons. Well, three. One, a couple other people decided to stay (I wouldn't have wanted to make the journey back by myself). Two, a Wash U friend of mine who is studying at Oxford and I had been talking about meeting up at some point, and I figured I might as well seize the opportunity when I'd already had my train and one bus paid for. Three, one of my closest friends at Wash U studied at Oxford for a summer in high school and suggested places for me to go, none of which I had been able to see on the tour. Unfortunately St. Michael's Tower was closed, but I did make the most important stop: G&D's, an ice cream store. ;-) Believe it or not, it was the first time I'd had ice cream (other than store-bought stuff once or twice) in England, and it was delicious. The place was packed, even though it was still fairly cold outside (luckily it did stop raining for our tour). Then I met up with the rest of the Wash U group and we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was a fun night, but getting back was a pain because the trains are less consistent on Sundays, which means longer train rides, so after a bus, two trains and a taxi I didn't get back to my flat until about 1:30 in the morning.

I have my first assignment (yes, first... the stories I've heard of Wash U students readjusting to "work" abroad would make you laugh) due on Wednesday, so this week has felt a little more like I'm back at Wash U. ;-) (Ironic, perhaps, since they're on spring break.) I was also working ahead because I have a friend from home coming to visit tomorrow (she actually arrives late tonight) and a choir concert on Monday night. I also originally thought the assignment was due on Tuesday.

Random thoughts: my parents are officially coming to visit in May! and we're going to Stratford-upon-Avon and seeing Romeo & Juliet at the Globe. I can't wait! They also sent me a care package including some American candy (Sour Patch Kids and fruit snacks... gummies here include gelatin because the Brits don't have corn syrup, which is tragic for a vegetarian like me), which I'm excited to share with my flatmates. Yesterday in my Look of America seminar my professor announced that next week we're having a party to celebrate the end of term... with alcohol. I just had to laugh. Never again will I drink in an academic setting. "I'll bring cookies... I'll bring chips... I'll bring some BEER!" ALL of my flights and trains are booked for my sure-to-be-epic EUROTRIP 2009, which commences a week from today with a flight at the crack of dawn to Athens! I'll put my full itinerary up later. I'm doing mostly homestays, so hopefully I'll be able to update my blog as I go instead of writing multiple entries to catch up when I get back (because there's no way that I'll be able to describe four weeks of traveling in one entry).

Spring Awakening, indeed

I had been waiting for this weekend since mid-January, so it's hard to believe it's over. I must say it was worth the wait and every penny I spent for it.

Let's see, where to start. Audrey and I left campus on Friday at 11, met with beautiful, spring-like weather both in Brighton and London. We bought our lunch in the train station in London and ate outside in a park. I couldn't help drawing a comparison between the fact that we were seeing a musical called Spring Awakening and the fact that it felt like spring really was awakening in London. We walked to Trafalgar Square to take pictures and explore the National Portrait Gallery. My favorite part was a small gallery of striking (tasteful) nude portraits of Olympic athletes. It was a benefit for an AIDS foundation, and their nudity was representative of the fact that everyone is vulnerable to getting HIV/AIDS, regardless of the shape they are in. I decided to take a break and get a Coke in the cafe, and it came in a glass bottle and with a straw! Classy.

After the museum we went to check in at the hostel, which was in a residential area about 20 minutes outside of central London. We roomed with girls from Australia and France who seemed to be there more long-term - either that or they just traveled with a LOT of stuff. We dropped off our backpacks, changed into nicer clothes for the night, and then went to Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately we were too late to get into the Evensong service, but it was all right because there would be another service on Saturday afternoon. We took pictures in the sunset and had a leisurely dinner at a cheap Chinese buffet nearby. Then we went to Spring Awakening!

The theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith, was very non-descript. It just said "Lyric" on the side, and there was no sign for Spring Awakening or anything. I actually doubted we were at the right place until I saw people with programs inside. It took a couple of elevator rides to get to the actual theatre space, so I had no idea what to expect. The theatre itself was beautiful, and our seats were unbelievably good. Fifth row, close enough to have an unobstructed view but not so close that we had to crane our necks. I seriously could have died happy as soon as we sat down. Good thing I didn't, though, because the show was FABULOUS. It's impossible for me to actually express in words how much I loved it. I laughed, I cried a little, I smiled so much my face hurt, I got goosebumps, basically everything you'd want from a musical. The girl who played Wendla (the female lead) looked exactly like Emma Watson from the Harry Potter movies, and the guy who played Melchior (the male lead) looked like Elijah Wood and was, well, attractive. Very attractive. But the entire cast was excellent, even though for several of them it was their Broadway debut. I loved seeing the songs come to life after listening to them so many times and discovering things about the plot that you don't get until you see them.

After the show two fantastic things happened. 1) As we were walking out, Audrey realized that we were walking next to Jake Shears, one of the lead singers of the Scissor Sisters, one of her favorite bands. She was able to strike up a conversation with him, and he turned out to be one of the most casual celebrities I have ever met. I mean, he was wearing a hoodie and he talked to Audrey about what she was majoring in. We took pictures before he left. 2) I convinced Audrey to wait to see if we could meet some of the members of the cast (luckily she didn't take much convincing). A woman at the ticket counter said that the Lyric didn't really have a stage door so that the actors would probably just leave through the front door. After we waited by the front door for awhile, a security guard came to tell us that some of the cast members were having drinks in the bar upstairs. This security guard wins for nicest security guard ever. Also, that would NEVER happen in the U.S. Anyway, we went upstairs and there, indeed, was the cast having drinks. As I told Audrey, "Inside, I'm fainting right now." I just missed meeting the guy who played Hanschen, but I did meet Aneurin Barnard, the guy who played Melchior, who I plan to marry someday soon. It's been awhile since I felt that starstruck. I tried to explain my story to him of how I was studying abroad and I was upset about missing the tour at home until I found out that there would be a London version and so I made it my mission to come while I was abroad. I don't know how coherent I was, but he was super sweet and modest and took a picture with me. Yes, I'm in love. Needless to say, Audrey and I both left with big smiles on our faces.

So that was just Friday, and we were planning to stay in London through Sunday! We basically passed out at the hostel on Friday night, got up in time for breakfast (there were French guys sitting next to us who traveled with their own personal jar of Nutella), and set off for day two of our London adventure. Problem: London transit sucks on the weekends. There were entire lines on the tube that were shut down, and of course they were the most direct routes for where we wanted to go. After a little negotiating we made it to Tower Bridge, which we were able to tour for free (yay disabled prices!). You can go into observation decks inside the bridge and then the engine rooms underneath. My favorite part was reading about the bus that didn't stop in time when the bridge was being raised and had to make a 3-foot "jump," and the time when the bridge was painted red, white and blue for the Queen's jubilee. I don't know if I necessarily would have paid for it, though.

We took a bus to Westminster, which took an unfortunately long time due to traffic. We finally had a late but cheap lunch at a pub before going to the Evensong service. Being raised Unitarian, it was definitely a different experience to go to an Anglican/Episcopalian church service, but I was mainly there to hear the choir anyway. If you remember from one of my past entries, the choir is made entirely of men and boys, and the boys actually go to school at the Abbey. In other words, they lead incredible lives and sing beautifully, but seeing them made me realize that they are still normal, fidgety little boys. My favorite part was a blessing/recitation done by the reverend - it was like a Gregorian chant, but it was just him saying it. We also passed the gravestones of Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin, and the British equivalent of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on the way out. What an incredible place.

Next on our schedule was riding the London Eye. The Eye is basically a giant Ferris wheel made up of glassed-in pods that people ride in to get a birds-eye view of London. We rode around sunset, so it was lovely, and it was fun to take advantage of photo opportunities that arise when things look smaller than they really are (ie. "squishing" Big Ben with your thumb). The only problem is that everything else in the London skyline pales in comparison to Big Ben and Parliament. They're just beautiful, especially lit up.

When we got off the Eye we met Eric Reif, another Wash U-er studying in London, for dinner on Brick Lane (Brick Alley? I don't remember), Indian food central in London. The restaurant owners were literally standing outside of their restaurants, calling out different deals that they would offer us if we gave us their business. We went with the place that offered complimentary drinks. ;-) The naan was better than the curry, but overall it was decent and cheap. We went to a bakery for dessert, where I bought a traditional Indian dessert that has the consistency of fudge but tastes a little cheesy. I think it's made out of condensed milk, and then you can add flavors to it like almond, pistachio and mango. Audrey and I were feeling pretty tired again, so we briefly met some other people in the hostel while planning our Sunday and then went to bed.

On Sunday we started at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is pretty dazzling. To give you an idea, they have a Chihuly sculpture hanging in the main lobby. I saw lots of sculptures, a photography exhibit and a fashion exhibit where I fell in love with a Parisian flowered dress (but not to the same degree that I fell in love with Melchior Gabor, mind you). Audrey adored this museum, so we ended up spending some extra time there. Then we met Ruth Howe, yet another Wash U-er, at my new favorite place in London, Covent Garden. There is so much to love about Covent Garden. First there are the street performers - someone dressed in a gorilla suit, opera singers, and a man who ate a balloon and then involved a woman and a little boy in some elaborate knot-tying trick that we didn't stay to see the end of. Then there is the food - my jacket potato (baked potato) with tuna and sweetcorn (I know this sounds like an odd combination, especially on a jacket potato, but it's good!), and the smell of gaufre, and Ben's Cookies, where you can get a cookie for about a pound that has huge chunks of nuts and chocolate. And of course there are the shops, like the old-fashioned toy store that we spent most of our time in. In short, Covent Garden is wonderful, and we only saw a portion of it. I definitely plan to go back.

Our last stop of the day/weekend was Harrods, a department store that I am convinced is actually Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in disguise. Yes, it has everything you'd expect at a fancy department store - clothes, jewelry, perfume. But then it has the food rooms, where you can not only get sushi or sample several other kinds of cuisine, but you can shop for produce under chandeliers decorated with fruits and vegetables (yes, chandeliers), admire display after display of elegant looking chocolates, and buy a sugary cornucopia of a cake for only 10,000 pounds. I don't think you can truly understand the ridiculousness of this place until you see it with your own eyes. I was a little speechless.

Two train rides later, we were back in Brighton. My body was completely exhausted after running around London for three days straight, but I was very happy. Seeing Spring Awakening, and the weekend in general, will undoubtedly go down as one of my favorite study abroad memories.

ps. congratulations to everyone who made it through this marathon of an entry. your prize is a hug, redeemable next time we see each other. preferably somewhere in Europe. ;-)