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[tryingtokeepcalm]

Cause I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don’t Know When I’ll Be Back Again

(Oh bad idea, that songs makes me too emotional, I shouldn’t have chosen it as my title! AHHHHHH)

Well… here it is. 94 days later (give or take), and I’m going home tomorrow! Wow. It’s actually sinking in.

This morning I actually managed to stay in bed until nine, which is so rare these days. But I relaxed and hung out for a little bit. My cold isn’t as bad as it was, now it’s just leaving me sneezing all day. At least everything's draining, leading me to buy two packs of tissues today.

Anyway, I eventually got up and got dressed. I went and got a croissant for breakfast, as I threw away all my food in the flat. After that, I took the tube over to St. Pauls and caught a bus for a loop I’d read about in one of my London books that passes through lots of tourist areas. I went through Trafalgar Square, right by Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. It was really cool, considering I haven’t really used the bus system this whole semester. I also got to sit on the top and in the front of the double decker, which, according to Hannah, is “the best.”

I got off the bus around St. James’ Park and went by Buckingham Palace. And I saw a black swan!!! Natalie Portman, I love you! I walked through the grounds one last time and it was beautiful. I waved bye to Lizzie and everything.

After that, I walked across the bridge and over to Waterloo station. And yes, I went to Camden Market one last time and only to get more of their amazing orange juice. One, because it’s so delicious it’s worth it and I would drink it everyday of my life if I could and two, I’m trying to do everything I can to feel better and would shoot vitamin c in my veins.

Anyway, I took the tube back to the flat after that. I got a grocery bag and got some food for on the plane, so I won’t be forced to eat the airplane food. After bringing that food back to the flat, I said goodbye to Katie, which was so sad! But she is inviting us all over to her house in Harrisonburg at the end of the summer, so that’ll be really cool!

I continued to do some packing, which got more and more difficult as all my space is filling up. And every time I thought I’d finished packing, I found something else to take up place. Eventually, I got too frustrated to go on, and decided to take a break.

So I took the tube (for the last time!!! ahhhh!) over to Hyde Park and went for a walk there for a while. It was wonderful and I actually got really, really emotional. It was too much. Finally, I made my way around the lake and then went back to the flat.

Once there, I continued packing, which included unpacking my duffle bag and repacking it. Then I took a shower so I could throw away my toiletries and pack the stuff I’m bringing home with me. After that, I was basically done. Now I’m basically chilling in bed, and honestly could fall asleep now, due to my early mornings for the past week.

I’ll make a sentimental and retrospective post about the semester ending at some point, but right now I’m too tired to focus on such emotions. I’ll be up at 6am tomorrow cause we’re leaving at 8am and I want to have time to take one last walk around the neighborhood one last time.

Steps/Miles: 21,425/8.49 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

The End of Term Feast

I’m writing this ahead of time because I can already see me getting home from the banquet and falling into bed. I feel like I could honestly fall asleep right now. My throat doesn’t hurt a ton anymore, but I’m so tired! Hopefully I can get a full night’s sleep, sleep in tomorrow, and maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow.  

Anyway, I got up today and made breakfast. Katie was having her last class today and offered anyone to come and talk with her about books. Obviously that’s not something I can turn down. So I tagged along and we went out to Russell Square and just sit in the sun and talk about books. We talked about other stuff too, like growing up and fun stuff like that. I’d much rather talk about books for an hour but it was still fun to hang out in a small group.

After that, I came back to the flat and wrote my blog post about yesterday. By the time I finished that, it was time to go on our last group outing. First we went to Sainsbury’s and got a free lunch because we had money in the budget for that. Then we took the tube over to Primrose Hill, which has a beautiful view and I wanted to go there again anyway.

So we headed over there and had lunch on the hill for a while. It all had a sense of finality to it, which, again, made everything feel bittersweet. We saw some odd circus performers and a woman scream at a man, so that was fun.

Eventually, people started going their separate ways. I decided I’d walk back to the flat cause I was feeling a bit better. This was a mistake and I realized as such pretty much half way back. I ended up taping out and finding a tube back. I got back a little bit ago and honestly could have taken a nap since then, but I know if I did manage to fall asleep I’d feel even worse later tonight. Even so, I’m not super excited about the banquet. I’m excited about the food, that’ll be fun. But I know I’ll be very tired by the end and very eager to go to sleep!

____________________________________

Okay, just got back from the banquet. Everyone was pregaming down in Flat A and I went down probably five minutes before we left. Eventually, we left for the restaurant. It wasn’t far from the flat so we meandered down the street, a long stretch of drunk girls shouting and crossing the streets at odd angles.

The restaurant was really nice and we had the banquet room to ourselves. We were served dinner and it was good! I actually liked the grilled goat cheese, and the chicken was good too. There was lots of drinking going on, as we were given wine bottles for the table. So that led to lot of loud and passive aggressive conversations. One girl told Katie that they got drunk for the first time when they were fourteen, so there’s that. A lot of the girls aren’t able to legally drink when they get back to the states, so you got the sense that they were enjoying drinking while they could. So it’s was very loud and very honest, everywhere.

Upside was, I got Most Independent as my superlative, so that was flattering! Downside was that the room didn’t have good AC and my cold made me really, really hot! So by the time we were watching the final farewell video, I was dying from overheating!

Because of all the drinking, there was just as much crying. I know my crying moment will happen later, probably on the plane, but for many people it came during the final video. But it was very sweet to hear Katie and Kevin speak and say goodbye to us, even though we’ll see them tomorrow. Although it’s still crazy, that the semester is over!

While everyone was crying and generally just milling about, I took my leave (being the most independent and all, I do have a reputation to uphold). Everyone was also very drunk and made me uncomfortable. So I walked back to the flat and took a shower. A lot of the group was gonna go out again to a pub down the street from the restaurant, so I still have the flat to myself at the moment. And I will be going to be very soon, to wake up to my last full day in London!!!

Steps/Miles: 14,901/6.11 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Heavy Hangs the Head that is Very Congested

Sorry for not writing yesterday. This cold is really killing me and I went to bad as soon as I could last night. I think it made a bit of a difference, but I honestly don’t know. I got sick last finals week too and I really don’t appreciate what is turning into a biannual pattern!

Anyway, yesterday I got up and was feeling pretty bad. My throat was killing me and so were my sinuses, which made my head hurt too. So I made breakfast and then went out to try and get some nasal spray to make me feel better. I also got tissues. But the nasal spray was a mistake, or at least the brand I got was. It cleared my nose and my sinuses but made my throat hurt even worse, I think because it wasn’t just a regular salt spray and had eucalyptus in it to. Ugh.

So after I did that, I went over to the classroom building and tried to work on my pop culture final. But on top of feeling horrible, I realized I left my book with my notes in my room and didn’t bring it with me to the classroom building. I stuck around in the computer room for a little while, just to justify me having walked over there.

But eventually I decided I couldn’t waste anymore time, so I went back over the flat. My head was hurting too much to actually focus on doing any work, or at least that’s what I told myself, so I decided to go for a walk on Oxford Street again. I went by Desigual to see what purses they had to offer, but even with their MASSIVE sale they were advertising they were all like fifty pounds #nothanks

So I took the tube back over the Holborn and got some lunch. I also got some sudafed, since London has never heard of Mucinex, obviously (or at least the pharmacy I went to didn’t have it). I got back to the flat and hung around for a little while, eating lunch and watching Archer. But eventually I couldn’t put off doing work any longer! So I muscled through it and finished the last two questions of my pop culture final! I read over it, submitted it, and then submitted my film final as well! And now I’m done! I’m finally done with tests and assignments and I’m so happy!

To celebrate, I went out to Leicester Square and got a milkshake from Shake Shack (yes, I know it’s an American company but I really wanted a milkshake and couldn’t find anything from a store that wasn’t a chain, sue me!). Then I went for a walk along the river, as it was a sunny day and actually kind of warm if you stood in the sun.

It was actually beautiful out and lovely to just walk along the Thames without worrying about assignments or anything. I’m probably gonna do a similar walk tomorrow since… it’s my last day. Ugh.

Anyway, eventually I made my way back to the flat and hung out there for an hour before we had our last weekly meeting! AHHHH! But it was nice because we had pizza! So we did our evaluations for our professors and ate pizza and talked about the moving out process! And it was sad but I’m also so excited to go home, so bittersweet is the pinnacle of descriptors in that situation. We were also told to do our Bevi, which is basically a long survey that we took before we started the semester and now again that the semester is over. But… it’s like 200 questions… and I didn’t technically take it at the beginning… so I bailed and didn’t do it.

Everyone in the flat was going out to a club as a last big night out, so I went to see Raw! It was actually really cool cause I saw it at the BFI movie theatre, which is run by the British Film Institute and they put on previews of new movies as well as screen old movies. Like, along with Raw, they were showing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Manhattan. And the ticket was only eight pounds #score!

The movie was… crazy! Like, I’m not usually super squeamish when it comes to things on screen. Like, I watched Sweeney Todd and the tv show Hannibal for fun, and they don’t mess around with blood and gore. But this one… let’s just say I was glad I was on an aisle seat because there were honestly times I thought I needed it. The premise is basically that a girl goes to college to become a veterinarian and it’s this really weird, highly exclusive school so, of course, there’s lots of hazing for the freshman. And one of the hazing rituals is that they have to eat a raw rabbit kidney (those crazy french, am I right? Oh, yeah the movie was in french) and this girl was a vegetarian up until that point. And basically, once she starts eating meat she can’t stop and becomes a cannibal. Yeah. It’s weird. It’s one of those films where you cannot believe what you’re watching but you really can’t look away. I mean, I did at a number of scenes cause they were just so gross! But still, you get what I mean.

After the movie, I took the tube back to the flat and enjoyed having the night to myself.  I took a shower and watched some more Archer for a little bit before falling into the deep sleep that only a cold can provide.

Steps/Miles: 22,943/9.25 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

The Handmaiden (and the) Tale (of my day)

I’ve come to the conclusion that I won’t be sleeping in past 6am for the next few days, as for the past fews days I’ve been waking up at 6 on the dot everyday! It’s like I’m a kid again, how annoying.

So today I woke up at six and managed to go back to sleep for another hour or so but was still fully awake at 8, annoyingly. So I got up and hung around for a little while, just lounging around as I can do that now that it’s finals week. At 9 our final was released for our pop culture class and we have until Thursday to answer the four of the questions she emailed us.

Eventually, I got up and got dressed. I had some breakfast and then I went over to the classroom building to the computer room, for what might be the last time! Oh glorified broom closet with chairs that are essentially stools, how I’ll miss you! Not really though, I’m going back to Carrier where there are real chairs and actual desks where I can do actual work.

Anyway, I started that final and managed to get half way through it, answering two questions. I took a break but got really off track, with pretty much no motivation left to even consider continuing with that train of thought. So instead of just quitting altogether, I started working on my screenplay for film. This turned into me actually doing all of my screenplay for film. It’s only the first five minutes of the film, or the first five pages of the screenplay, which actually matched up pretty closely to the first chapter of the book. So that was nice. I’m gonna read it over tomorrow and then I’ll probably send it in, so that’s off my plate.

Once that was done, I went back to the flat. I decided to get started on some packing, as I didn’t want to continue working on my pop culture final. And I actually made a lot of progress. I essentially have all my clothes packed up, which is the majority of my stuff, with the outfits I’ll be wearing over the next few days kept out and organized. I actually love packing, and if I ever say I don’t, I’m lying, because it’s exactly what my organized mind loves to do. I’m honestly at the point where I can’t pack anymore until the last night. And that’s when most people will be packing all their stuff anyway.

So once I had gotten that done, I printed out my history final to turn in tomorrow. Apparently, they’re re-carpeting the floors outside in the stairway and landing, so they had to move the printers into our flat. Which is a bit annoying but it's not like we're gonna be here for much longer anyway. A lot of the girls plan on going out tomorrow night as one last big hurrah, and they pointed out how hard it will be to maneuver around the printers in the hallway when they’re drunk. They make a good point, but hopefully I’ll be asleep when they come home and I won’t have to deal with it.

After that, I went out and went for a walk along Oxford Street. I got these cookies from a place called Ben’s Cookies, and they were good but really sweet! Like, so sweet my stomach wasn’t feeling great for the rest of the day. Anyway, I took the tube over to St. Pauls and saw Postman’s Park, which I’ve been to before but I wanted to check it out again when I wasn’t super depressed and homesick, like I was when I was last there. I also walked by St. Bartholomew's Hospital, aka where Sherlock faked his suicide in the BBC show. It was actually really cool because at the spot where they film it and where it ‘happened,’ fans had written and drawn on the wall sayings like ‘Sherlock Lives’ and ‘I Believe in Sherlock Holmes.’ It was really cool, considering how long ago that episode was (back when the show was good cough cough) that all that stuff is still there.

After that, I took the tube back to the flat and hung out there for a while. We booked our cab for to take us to the airport on Sunday and there’s now four of us leaving at the same time, so we’ll have to pay even less #score. And we’re also leaving even earlier at 8am, which I’m fine with.

Eventually, I made dinner and had the idea to go see a movie while everyone else goes out tomorrow night. And I was trying to decide between The Handmaiden and Raw. And then I thought, why not both???

So, because my stomach wasn’t in the best shape, I decided against the movie about cannibalism (guess which one it is) and went with the movie about lesbians instead. And there just so happened to be a screening of The Handmaiden at the movie theatre right by our flat at 6:20, which I was reading about at 6:00, so it worked out perfectly.

And all I can say about that movie is, damn. DAMN! It is so amazing! It’s one of those movies that just keeps piling on the twists and turns but it’s so good you’re on the edge of your seat every time. It’s definitely directed by the same guy who did Oldboy though, cause they’re both super graphic and super bloody films. But I loved this one so much!

After the movie, I came back to the flat and took a shower. I think I’m coming down with a cold because my throat is absolutely killing me. So I’ll probably go to bed soon and try to get a full night’s sleep. Hopefully I can. Despite having nothing taking up my days, I just can’t sleep in! It’s definitely because I’m so excited to go home!

Steps/Miles: 13,552/5.45 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

I Heart Camden

Ahh, today the dreaded test finally came to pass. Effing Politics, how I won’t miss thee.

Even though the test was at 10, I didn’t sleep in any later than I normally would have. I got up and made breakfast and read over my notes over and over again! We stayed at the flat, all of us frantically reading over our notes, up until it was time to head over to the classroom building.

We all filed in, looking miserable but very eager to get the test over with. In the end the test went about as well as I thought it would. His vague prompts that he gave us last week weren’t exactly what I expected so I didn’t have exactly the right information for the prompt. But I made it work as best I could, because what was going to do? Just not write anything? Better to twist the prompt so my information makes some sense than to just not write anything at all.

Anyway, I finished mine probably twenty minutes before our allotted time ran out, and because he wouldn’t let you leave even if you finished early (excuse me, what is this, high school? And even in high school I could read my book when I was done) But once I was done, it was like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders! No more politics for me! It’s like I’m going back to a country where politics is a major issue plaguing each and everyone on of our lives…

But once that was done, I had a full day ahead of me! Knowing that, I decided to go to Camden Market again! I got pizza from one of the stalls and sat in the little grassy area, once again enjoying the vast and loud atmosphere of the market! I’m gonna miss it so much! I also got their famous orange juice that is so good! Tbh I might run by there again just to get some more, it was so fresh and good!

I spent some more time just walking around and looking at the different stalls and stores in the market. I decided to make it a full day of treating myself and went to the Cereal Killer Cafe again and go their hot chocolate! Not as good as their milkshakes, but still really good! And I just love that place so much. What other food joint can you go to and get told off for not seeing any Rocky movies? It’s truly one of a kind.

After that, I went back to the tube and went back to the flat. I went back out after grabbing a shopping bag to get some food for the last couple of days here. I could have written my film screenplay this afternoon, but I was honestly just really tired. I did my laundry and even some packing, but I’m gonna do a lot of that tomorrow and Wednesday probably.

For the rest of the evening, I made dinner and took a shower and just relaxed because I’m done with politics and I’m so happy about it!

Steps/Miles: 14,900/5.93 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

The Passion of the London Eye

Okay, let’s get back on track.

This morning, I got up and got ready for church. I was going with a bunch of other girls to the 11am service. We left around 10:30, thinking that would be plenty of time since we live maybe fifteen minutes from the theatre where Hillsong is held.

However, once we got past the British Museum, we realized we were looking a line wrapping two blocks away from the theatre. We were optimistic at first, thinking it was a line for something else. But eventually we asked someone and found out, we were wrong. It was the line for the 11am service!

Well, we figured we might as well get in line, and realized it was moving pretty quickly. So we managed to actually get onto the same street as the theatre. However, the line promptly stopped and we realized they had filled up the church. So we stood in line for a little while longer. If it hadn’t been Easter, I think all of us would have bailed. But considering the holiday, we were all determined to go, and most services would be packed like this one.

Luckily, they handed out these “fast passes” to us in line. I know, like Disney world! But basically they just held our place in line so we could go get coffee or walk around and still be guaranteed a space in the theatre when it was time for the next service. So we all went back to the flat for half an hour and continued working on our politics final.

Then we left again for the 1:15 service. We got in this time, hooray! And it wasn’t a normal service, it was more like a dance show. It was sort of like a play depicting the death and resurrection of Jesus, focusing on the Centurion who played a part in Jesus’ death. It was pretty well done, with good choreography and lighting and a premise was cool in that it was modern day, so they employed social media and did little bits where news reporters would talk about Jesus and what a stir he was bringing.

It was cool, but it literally started with Jesus’ crucifixion and I was like ‘maybe they should have told kids to leave the room…’ Like, I’ve never seen Passion of the Christ and really don’t intend to, so why are we pretending to crucify a man on a cross and whip him? At least Jesus and his disciples were all black, so that was really cool.

Anyway, after church we went back to the flat. I left soon afterwards to get some food and then headed over to the London Eye. I knew the line would be pretty long, seeing as it’s one the biggest tourist places in the city, so I got there early even though I’d already bought my ticket. I picked it up and then got in the bigger line to actually queue up for the compartment.

It was really beautiful! Even though it was overcast and almost rainy, it was a wonderful view! You could walk around and see the city from every angle and it was amazing how far you could really see! And even though it feels like it’s moving really slowly, you’re only on it for half an hour. It was lovely, but I still felt sad seeing it all for the last time of this trip.

After that, I got on the tube and went over to Katie’s house as she was having an Easter party! It was a lot of fun to go to her house again, and to see the backyard as last time we were there it was in January and dark by 3pm. But we ate candy and talked about making superlatives for everyone in the group. I told everyone I usually get “bookworm” but one of them suggested I should get “independent!” Honestly, how flattering! She acted like she was insulting me, but I was so flattered! So I hope they go with that one. But ‘bookworm’ is always relevant.

We stuck around Katie’s for a while, and tried to dye some eggs but they were brown eggs so they didn’t turn out well. Eventually, a group of us left to go back to the flat. And I don’t know, but while we were on the tube we were so giggly. We couldn’t stop laughing about the most random stuff. I’m sure we were obnoxious but at that moment no one cared, not even me.

We got back to the flat and I facetimed with my parents for the last time from here in London! I honestly didn’t realize it until they said they’d talk to me in person on Saturday! I was like ‘oh yeah, that is happening.’ But the big thing that happened while I was talking to my parents, was that one of the girls from Flat A realized that their window was cracked by someone trying to break in! Someone tried to break into their flat!

Needless to say, they were really scared but they called the police and Kevin and even Katie came over. They’re gonna have extra security around the building for the next few days, so that’s encouraging. The rest of the night was uneventful, and we all worked on our politics final. That actually got moved back until 10, which most of us didn’t see as a blessing but as a curse as we just wanted to get it over with!

Steps/Miles: 12,895/5.1 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Les Mis On Saturday (Sorry It Doesn’t Have Alliteration) [Magic Tree House Adventure #97]

Sorry I didn’t update last night but I saw Les Mis and it got out at 10:30 and I was too tired by the time I got back to actually sit down and write anything.

Anyway, yesterday I got up and was looking at my to-do list and realized something. It was stressing me out WAYYY too much. And it really shouldn’t have, but I kept looking at things I still wanted to do (which were little stores or markets or other things that aren’t really that important to me), and was trying to figure out the most time-efficient way to do all of them and still have time to do school work and blah blah blah. So I made the executive decision that I am done with my to-do list. I’m done. At this point, I know the places I still want to go and visit before I leave. I have favorite places like Camden Market and the riverside, which I’ll go to again during this last week. I’m not going to waste time visiting some little bookstore or park that some guidebook told me to go to.

So, once that decision was made, I got dressed and went out for the day. I went and got some gifts for people at home which was very exciting! Then I went over to Hyde Park and rented one of the bicycles that you can rent and rode around the park for a little bit. It wasn’t a gorgeous day but it wasn’t cold and rainy or anything. It was fun and it was something that I really wanted to do! Although my butt and my legs are killing me today, understandably.

After that, I took the tube back over to the flat and made some lunch (while also watching the new MST3K on Netflix, which is great and I highly recommend it!). When I was finished, I packed up my stuff and went over to Waterstones to work on my politics final. It was only when I got over there, found a table, opened my laptop and notebook, however, did I realize that I had brought the wrong notebook… of course. When he had told us the prompts for our final, I didn’t have my regular class notebook with me, so I wrote them down in my journal!

So I left the table, closed my laptop and notebook, and went back to the flat to get my journal. I also ran downstairs at Waterstones to grab some more pens at the little stationary store they have in their basement, as all the ones I have are quickly dying out. Eventually, I made it back to the bookstore with the correct material and was there for probably an hour working on taking notes for the final.

Again, I’m SO glad this is the first one we’re doing because it’s the one everyone is stressing out about the most. Basically, I’m making outlines for these vague questions he gave us in class and am going to essentially memorize them in preparation for regurgitating them back up on paper in the form of an essay. At this point, I’m just ready for these tests and assignments to be OVER!!! But once this politics one is done tomorrow, I’ll do the Pop Culture one on Tuesday when it’s released to us and then at some point I’ll write the screenplay for film. Maybe I’ll do that on Monday after I’ve taken a break from the Politics final. And it’s not like writing this screenplay is really going to be “work” for me. I’ve written a screenplay in my spare time, so…

Also, there’s a chance our Politics final is going to be messed up anyway because Monday is a Bank Holiday and we might not be able to get into the building… So we all think, if that unfortunate event should occur, he’ll have us turn it in through email. But we’ll see what happens.

Anyway, after working on that for a little bit, I was super hungry and called it quits for the day. I went back to the flat and then I went and got spicy, cajun fries from Five Guys! So good! Honestly, so good! I then killed a couple of hours by watching MST3K and Archer before going to Les Mis.

It was a sold out show, so getting into the building was crazy! And they put a little tag on my bag to show it had been checked by security. And when I got my ticket it said it was an “extremely restricted view” but it was a pretty decent seat. Yeah, I couldn’t see the upper half of the stage some of the time, but that doesn’t really matter.

As for the show itself… it was good. It had a rotating stage like Hamilton, so that was a cool effect and they utilized it well I think. The thing that made me mad was Javert’s suicide! Like, a while ago Daniel and I saw this production in DC. And Les Mis isn’t always showing at DC, so it was like a touring production or something like that. And the way they did his suicide was immensely cool because he was standing on the bridge, which was suspended above the stage, and when he jumped, wires kept him in the air while the bridge was raised up, creating the effect that he was falling. It was really cool and effective.

But in the production here, which has been going on since, like, the 80s or something like that… it just wasn’t that effective. He’s just standing on the bridge, which is flat on the stage, and when he jumps the bridge goes up but he just stays there on stage flailing like he’s falling. The stage did spin like he was getting washed away, but it… honestly looked silly.

It just made me mad that a non-permanent production can pull off a stunt like that better than production that’s been in the same theatre since 2004. Anyway, that’s just my two sense.

It was still a beautiful show and there’s a reason it’s one of the longest runnings shows in the world, because it's GOOD! Anyway, after the show I walked home and took a shower. I went to bed soon after that, considering it was nearly 11:30 by that time.

Steps/Miles: 20,083/8.53

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Don’t Let My Levels of Comprehension Fool You, All I’m Thinking About Is Star Wars

What. A. Day! End the Jedi??? What could it mean? Could it mean ending a repressive order and two party system??? Maybe??? Love the focus on Rey and I hope she kicks Kylo’s ass again!

Okay, I won’t focus the entire time on the teaser, because I’ve been spending the last three hours doing that. It took so much out of me, I’m so tired from it!

Before my life was changed by said trailer, I got up early this morning. I didn’t really mean to, but I woke up at seven anyway. I dozed for a little while and then got up for good around 8:30. I was planning on going to the Natural History Museum and it always has a long line. So I figured I could be at the front of the line or near the front if I got there right as it opened at 10.

So I left the flat and got to the museum half an hour before it opened, and there was a still a sizable line already formed. But I hung around until it was open and it was a really cool museum! Similar to our Natural History Museum in DC, it had exhibits on dinosaurs, mammals, rocks, and bugs. But there were so many little interactive things for kids and adults that were so cool! There was this part about earthquakes and volcanoes and they had a earthquake simulator that was so scary! It was really well done and it was cool to be there so early and get to some exhibits without anyone else being there.

I stuck around there for a little while and then went off to my next spot. I took the tube and had a walk to the sight where executions took place in the 17th century. Cause I’m edgy. But it was in a little neighborhood right on the water, so that was cool to see.

Then I took the Overground, which might as well be called something completely different than the Underground because my phone never brings it up when I look up directions and tube routes! So I took the overground tube over to this pretty garden called Dalston Eastern Curve Garden. And it was such a hippie hangout! It’s hidden away past these tall wooden fences, and it’s little oasis of wooden sheds and couches all spread out among these garden beds. It was so cute! They serve drinks and you can just go there and hang out! It was great.

After that, my phone was getting low on battery so I took the tube back over to the flat and ate some lunch while it was charging. At this point, I knew I needed to be back at the flat at 4:00 to watch the Star Wars panel. So I had around two hours to kill before that.

So I took the tube over to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park! It was the Olympic Park they used in the 2012 olympics, and it was such an interesting area. It reminded me of the malls around my house, like Potomac Mills and Tysons. And I could totally see the area being filled with people during the Olympics and when it was happening. Even today, it was really busy.

The park is beautiful and has a lot of little playground pieces located around the park. It’s right by West Ham stadium too, which was cool to see. After walking around there for a while, I took the tube back to the flat.

Obviously, I watched the Last Jedi panel and there was a lot of screaming in pillows and throwing things. And that was before the trailer was released! The poster is now my phone background and I love it! I can’t wait for Christmas! I’m so excited!

In between my freak outs, I started a little bit of packing (!!!!) like organizing my books in between my own books and the textbooks I’ll return, and taking the stuff down from my bulletin board. Eventually, I made dinner and took a shower.

I found out Sarah and Paige have flights around the same time I do next Saturday, one at 11:40 and one at 12:30, so we’re gonna get a cab together to Heathrow next week. I’m sad to think about it, but honestly I’m really excited to go home and see my family and friends! And have my own room again!

Steps/Miles: 18,615/7.47 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Hot Chocolate and Cider

Today was our last day of classes… wow. Just… wow! I can’t believe it!

I got to sleep in a little today or at least didn’t have to wake up right away cause our pop culture class didn’t meet today until 10. So I hung around this morning and then made breakfast. Then we went over to the class. It was a shorter and chiller class than normal, since we were just doing revision for our final. It didn’t last long and then we headed out for a short outing where she bought us coffee!

We went over to a little farmer’s market by the University of London campus, which was really cool. Then we walked down to King’s Cross station and to this nice coffee shop farther past the station. They had really good hot chocolate and it was a nice day so we sat outside and watched kids play in these fountains that are now sprouting up everywhere all over the city. It was really nice!

After coffee and hot chocolate, I went back to the farmer’s market and got some pizza for lunch. Then I went back to the flat and hung out until it was time to go to my film class. I ended up going over early because I was so excited to actually talk about doing our final and writing our screenplay.

It was so sad that it was our final film class! We all agreed that the film class was our favorite and it was so sad to see it end! So we spent our class time talking about the format of the screenplay and how it should look and how to do it. It was basically a rehash of my screenplay class from last semester. But we did get to read some of his screenplay from the pilot of a tv show he’s written, so that was really cool!

After that, he gave us the choice of seeing the movie Raw, about a college girl turned cannibal, or go out for drinks. Unfortunately, I was outvoted and we didn’t get to see the movie… (but I’m definitely gonna see it at some point cause it looks hella interesting)

But instead, we went on a bar crawl, and apparently we’re the first class he’s done this with before. We’re so special! So we went to two bars and I had cider at both. I didn’t finish either of them, believe me! But at the second one, I was promised that ‘the cider was so sweet it didn’t taste like alcohol.’ Well, they underestimated how much I hate the taste of alcohol and I can sniff that stuff out like nothing else. So, even though it tasted sweet, it still didn’t taste good. And I didn’t drink that much of it, considering it was nearly 7%! But we hung out at the second bar for a while, just chilling and stuff. Steve, our professor, thanked me for actually understanding what he was talking about most of the time and, when I told him I was an English major he was like ‘oh that makes sense that you actually followed me when I talked about Modernism and stuff like that.’ And honestly, praise like that keeps me going and I love hearing stuff like that.

His brother-in-law ended up coming by, because he was visiting to see the play we saw a few weeks ago. And we were told ‘he’s really hot!’ by our professor. And… I guess he was. In that, he looked like the guy that the main girl in a romcom is together with at the beginning who takes phone calls instead of talking to her, leading to her to fall for Adam Sandler or whatever mediocre-looking actor is nice enough to get her in the end. But, it’s not like I thought of that right when I saw him.

Anyway, like I said, we hung out there for a while and just talked for a while. Eventually, they had to leave to get dinner before the play. So I left with a few other girls. We hugged Steve and might meet up with him next Thursday and get drinks at some point.

After that, I was craving fries and got some for dinner! They were spicy and perfect! Then I got back to the flat and took a shower. Then I caught up with the Star Wars Celebration panels that I missed today! In case you didn’t know, The Last Jedi teaser trailer comes out tomorrow and I will be talking about nothing else!  Just, so you can prepare yourself.

Steps/Miles: 17,844/7.3 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

The Power in Finishing Papers

I’m currently having one of the largest book hangovers I’ve had in a long time. So I’ll try to be coherent.

This morning I got up and made breakfast before going to our last history class. We talked about Thatcher and the Falkland Wars and that period of history in Britain. After that we took this little quiz asking us random questions from the semester, and we got prizes if you got a certain number right. We all got little easter candies and chocolates, which was really cool!

After class, we went to the Portrait Gallery and looked at a modern gallery looking at portraits of celebrities and political people. It was cool to hear about the paintings, even though I went to the Gallery a few weekends ago. Hearing an actual professor talk about the paintings is a lot more stimulating than me just walking by listening to The Smiths and thinking “those colors look pretty.”

It was sad to say goodbye to Judith, our professor, who’s the sweetest! And she won’t be coming to the end of semester banquet either, so today was our last time seeing her. Very sad to say goodbye, but she did say to look her up when we come back to visit!

After our outing, I got some lunch and went back to the flat.  After chilling for a little bit, I went over to the classroom building and worked on my history final for a while. I finished it, finally, and it felt good to actually be done with it! Now I can focus on politics this weekend.

After that, I went back to the flat and hung out until making dinner. After dinner we had our weekly meeting. It’s Hannah’s birthday, Katie’s daughter, on Friday, so we sang for her and we all got cupcakes. It was really cute and she was really excited for us to sing for her!

After the meeting, I ran over to the grocery store and picked up some stuff. Then I wanted to do something on my list and decided to ride the Piccadilly Line to the very end, at Cockfosters. I’d wanted to do this for a while and figured tonight was a good time to do it.

So I sat on the tube for a while and got to go see a tube station designed in 1933. And while I was doing this, I kept reading The Power. I got all the way to Cockfosters, which is way out in the suburbs, and promptly got right back on a train to Russell’s Square. And I just kept reading. It was at this time that I knew I would finish it today.

I finally got back to the flat, took a shower, and kept reading. And I finished it! I read it in less than a week and omg it’s an incredible book! It’s so incredible and well written and the ending is such a punch in the face and it’s so good! I can’t believe I finished it, I read over 100 pages just today.

And, because of that, I’m extremely tired at the moment. So I’m gonna go to bed and I don’t have to get up until 9 for class tomorrow, as we don’t have class until 10. Yay!

Steps/Miles: 13,381/5.56 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

#GardensShouldBeFree2k17

I woke up this morning earlier than I really wanted to. I thought I would try to go to the Natural History Museum, which is usually really busy. So I got up, got dressed, cleaned up my room for the cleaning company, and tried to start laundry but both washers were being used so I just left my laundry bag downstairs.

Then I got some breakfast and took the tube over to South Kensington where the Museum is. So I went up the escalators, out of the station, over to the Museum, saw that the line wrapped around the building and promptly turned around and went back to the station and down the escalators.

Well, I did go back to the station and looked at my list of stuff I wanted to see that was around that area. There was the Chelsea Psychic Garden, which sounded cool and was a twenty-minute walk away. So I walked through Kensington, which is a really rich area so it was a nice walk. I found the garden and walked past the wall, through the little gate, saw that you had to buy tickets, saw that the tickets were 10 pounds, and promptly RAN out the gate and past the wall and got the hell out of there! 10 pounds for a garden??? There better be physics at the ready when you walk through the gate, and they better tell me my future down to the type of flowers growing out of the garden of my retirement home.

Anyway, after that, I took the tube over Holland Park. It was a beautiful but small park and had the typical London wildlife walking around, like squirrels, and pigeons, and a peacock. Yeah, a peacock just chilling. Not even in an enclosure or anything, there were parents taking their kids in there! A peacock is huge! I might be more okay with birds then I was before coming here, but I’m not at that level yet!

But there was a beautiful little pond called the Kyoto Garden, where there was a fishpond and waterfall. And there was a cool playground; so cool it was called an “adventure park.”

So after I saw all these things, I took a walk to the nearest tube station and went back to the flat. I made lunch and hung out for a while, working on laundry. I made a quick run out to get a chocolate bar, cause I was having a craving. I also took out some cash and bought a sweatshirt from one of those tourist shops, cause I really wanted one.

Then I went back to the flat, grabbed my books and laptop and went to the computer room at the classroom building to work on my history essay. I wrote the intro, so that’s a start! But I’ll finish it tomorrow once I do some more research.

I went back to the flat, finished my laundry and made dinner. Our Wi-Fi is usually bad here in the flat, but tonight it’s actually horrible. Like, it’s not working at all! I took a shower to take up time because I literally can’t access anything. So…it’s making for an annoying night. But I’m definitely gonna go to bed soon. I swear I’m gonna sleep for two days straight when I get back to the states!

Steps/Miles: 18,593/7.53 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Presentations x2

Sorry I didn’t write anything last night! It was a long day and I didn’t have any brain cells left to actually focus on anything.

So, yesterday was a rather stressful/school filled day for most of us. We had our politics presentation in the morning. My group got there kinda early, which was good because we quickly snagged the second spot in the line of presentations! Thank goodness! So we got it out of the way, and I think it went pretty well. We were able to answer all his questions coherently, which some of the other groups couldn’t, so that was good. And once we were done, I could kind of zone out and didn’t have to worry about it anymore. After all the presentations were done, we talked about our final next week.

It’s actually the only final we’ll have in class, as the rest are take home essays and will be turned in through email. And it’s basically like an AP test, where we have 90 minutes to answer two questions out of five options. But the twist is that… we already have the questions. Yeah, he already told us the five questions. So… basically you research the questions, have a plan for them, and go in and write them down for the test. And I really lucked out cause on the questions relates to what I wrote about for my first essay! #turnup

(although based on some of the other girls reactions, all our professors are asking us to write nuclear code in Cantonese or something like that, it’s ridiculous)

Anyway, after class I went over to Waitrose and got some groceries. I didn’t have nutella for breakfast today so I had to run over to Tesco to get breakfast. But I got more nutella and pasta and all those staples. Then I ate lunch and hung out in the flat. I could’ve taken a nap in between classes, I was so tired.

But then we had theatre class, where I was also doing a presentation! It was on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, as we had our acting class last week and didn’t get to do the presentation. So we get to class, with our final paper and our final scene also due. It’s a busy class, and we all know this. But what we didn’t know was that our professor was going to spring our final exam on us! And that’s exactly what he did! It was definitely a big surprise.  But in the end, it wasn’t too hard. It was just us breaking down a scene and writing about what the character’s internal need was and how we knew it.

That only took half an hour. So after that, we read a few of our final scenes and then I did my presentation with Hannah on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Then Kristen and Julia did their presentation on The Goat. This last a while, as everyone basically hated it. I did come to realize that I probably would have liked the play if I had read it before I saw it. Number One, I would have actually known what it was about. And Number Two, I would have been able to come to terms with the subject matter through the characters of the play without watching actual people play it out on stage. There’s a level of separation that allows readers to deal with the realization that a man is having sex with a goat, and have the ability to put it down if you need a minute to come to terms with it. If you can ever come to terms with it.

Anyway, after class I decided to take advantage of the later sunlight and went to a Tibetan Peace Garden! Ironically, it’s right next to the Imperial War Museum, which I’ve been to multiple times since I got here. But it was still beautiful!

After that, I went back to the flat, made dinner, and took a shower. Since we got back so late from Scotland I didn’t get to talk to my parents on Sunday, so I talked to them last night. It’s even more fun talking to them now that I’ll see them in less than two weeks! After talking to them, I watched Netflix for awhile, sorted through some pictures, and then went to bed.

Steps/Miles: 11,615/4.95 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Climb Every Mountain (But Not Intentionally)

Even as I’m sitting here on the train home from Scotland, my feet hurt! We definitely made up for sitting on a bus for twelve hours yesterday.

So, Kristen and I got up and packed up our things. We got to sleep in an extra half hour since we had a free day today. So we went down to breakfast at 8:00 and met up with a few other people but, compared to yesterday, the breakfast room was empty!

After breakfast, we checked out and left our bags in the hotel for the day. Then Kristen, Hannah, Becca, and the other Abbey, and I went out for the day. Our first stop, well, stopping at every sign that said “Abbey” on it so Abbey and I could take a picture next to it. But while we were doing that, we were walking over to Arthur’s Seat, a massive hill (although I’d call it a small mountain) in the city that you can hike.

We started up it and were making pretty good time. This isn’t too bad, right? We’ll be done with it by 11 am. Kristen ended up going up a different route and the rest of us continued walking. However, we soon realized that she had gone up the real route and we turned around to meet her. Wow, what a great view! It’s so nice! But our joy was soon shattered when we realized… we weren’t at the top of Arthur’s Seat. More like, Arthur’s Kneecap. This massive shadow rising behind us was the real Arthur’s Seat, and we were determined to conquer it!

So we steeled ourselves and started up the steep and rocky makeshift stairs that led up to the summit. Luckily, we were in the shade so the mild heat of the day didn’t get to us. It was a lot faster than we thought it would be, but I know I’m gonna be hurting tomorrow. Like I said, I’m already hurting today.

We made it to the top and it was windy but the view was beautiful! A lot of the rest of the group were already at the top or just getting there as we were, as they hadn’t had the same little warm-up/mistake that we had. But after hanging out at the top, sharing clementine slices because we ran out water, we started our descent down to the city.

After getting back on solid ground, we walked to the Elephant House aka the “Birthplace” of Harry Potter (as they wrote it on the menu, although I’m not too sure on the validity of the quotations). It was the café where JK Rowling would go and write! Which is so cool! We had a short wait but eventually were seated. After ordering some cake I went to the bathroom and it’s so cool! It’s covered in handwritten messages, quotes, and things from the Harry Potter books! All in different colors and pens, it was so cool!

The cake was good and, after eating, we went to Greyfriars Graveyard right behind the café. There’s a legend that one guy died and was buried in the graveyard and his dog, Bobby, was so sad that he stayed at the grave and died there with his master. There’s a statue of the dog outside the graveyard and you can rub his nose for good luck, and there’s a grave for the dog and people leave sticks there for the dog. Very cute, if not from a sad story. We also saw the grave of a guy called Tom Riddle and his family, which JK used as inspiration for Voldermort’s birth name. I thought this was really cool, because I also write down cool names or things like that when I want to use them for stories! #justwriterthings

Anyway, after that, we spent some time walking down The Royal Mile, a shopping street in the middle of town. We didn’t find what we were looking for, as Abbey really wanted a rugby jersey she saw someone wearing but we couldn’t find the one she wanted or one that was reasonably priced.

At this point, we had a good two hours before we even needed to start thinking about heading back to the hotel. We spent some time sitting in a small garden, until Abbey declared she wanted to see some cows. So she, Becca, and I decided to walk 45 minutes to where there might be some Highlands cows.

It was actually a chill walk, as we got to see some suburbs and a more chill part of the city. We also lamented the fact that we had so much time here in Edinburgh but a lot less time in Paris, when we really needed/wanted it. Eventually, we came to the fancy hotel where there were supposedly cows. And Becca and Abbey heard somewhere that you could go on any property you wanted here, public or private, so we ended up just wandering onto the lawn of this hotel.

We did manage to see the cows though! They were far away and didn’t come over to us, but they were still cute and Abbey was happy she saw them. After this, we were fading fast, and headed back to the hotel. This walk felt longer than the walk to the hotel, as all of our legs and feet were SO SORE!

But we got to the hotel (finally) and picked up our bags. We still had time before we were supposed to go to the train station, but figured we beat the rush and get there early. We had the original idea of going to Starbucks and getting a table for the 45 minutes we had until meeting with the group. Well, we get to the station and to the Starbucks and pretty much half of the group is there already. It felt like Carrier Starbucks on campus, with so many stressed students milling about attempting to get some work done (although everyone knows that if you’re in the Starbucks on campus you’re not actually trying hard to do work). We’ve got our politics presentation, our theatre paper, and our theatre scene due tomorrow, so many people are freaking out. I’m not too worried (considering I’ve finished both the paper and the scene), because we’ll practice the presentation when we get home tonight and that should be fine. I have an A in the class right now and I have a feeling he’s not going to be too harsh about this presentation (more like a feeling he shouldn’t be very harsh about it!)

But we found a spot in the Starbucks and hung out there for a while. Then we found out our platform and headed down to the train. I found a seat by the window and put my stuff down and then headed to the bathroom. But when I came back… all hell had broken loose apparently. It was like a scene from Jersey Shore! People were getting ready to throw hands and fight each other. From what I could gather, a group of people who had table seats on the train from London to Scotland were also taking the table seats on this train back to London (which I agree is unfair) and people who wanted it were being passive aggressive about it and making (poorly) whispered comments about the first group of people. There was a lot of tension and if it had been Jersey Shore there would have been a lot of camera zooms and quick angles. But luckily for me, I have a seat to myself by the window and am quite at peace with it. I did an assignment for history, which is nice to get out of the way cause then I can just focus on the final paper which is due next week (which is our last week, omg my heart just seized up thinking that).

But I’ll probably spend the rest of the train ride reading or watching the two documentaries I have saved to my iTunes (Nursery University, about the cut-throat nursery school admittance process in NYC, and Jesus Camp, about the possible indoctrination of children through evangelical churches; so it’s nice to see how eclectic my taste truly is).

________________________

So, I spent a lot more time reading than I thought I would. I got half way done with my book… which I started on Friday… so that happened…

Our train got really full and someone had to sit next to me, so I felt awkward watching my documentary, so I was forced to read for the rest of the trip. Oh darn.

But now we’re back in London, and the fighting has continued between groups that originated with the drama over seats. I’m over it. It’s too much. We’re finishing our politics presentation and then going to bed! I’m so tired!

Steps/Miles: 37,070/15.09 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

And I Would Walk 500 Miles (But I’ll Probably Take the Bus Instead)

Today was so long! It feels like years ago that we actually woke up this morning. But it was, in fact, this morning when we got up at 7:00.

We got up and got dressed and then hurried down to dinner to beat the rush when it opened at 7:30. Unfortunately, it was difficult to beat said rush when we all had to have eaten breakfast before our bus left at 8:00. So all thirty of us were in the tiny breakfast room, milling about, with some of us luckily at tables and the rest of of the group kneeling around tables or standing. It was awkward. But I had toast and chocolate croissants and an apple and it was delicious!

After breakfast, we ran back up to our room to get our bags and coats and were off to our twelve hour tour of the highlands! We boarded our charter bus, driven by a guy named David, and met our tour guide, also a guy named David. Our tour guide was really friendly and funny and told us stories throughout the day over the little microphone on the bus. I heard some of them, but some of the time I was listening to my music and enjoying the marvelous view!

We drove through Edinburgh and he showed us the college JK Rowling used for inspiration for Hogwarts! And then we headed out to Loch Ness. I thought we would be stopping most of the time during our day, but most of our stops had hours between them, so a lot of the day was spent listening to music. But driving through Scotland was beautiful!

When we finally got to the Loch and had some lunch at a little cafe. We were about to get on a boat, so I didn’t eat a ton in preparation. But I did have some pasta salad that was pretty decent! And the boat trip was a lot of fun! It was an absolutely gorgeous day, with hardly any clouds and warm enough that we could spend most of the trip outside on the front of the boat. We looked for Nessie, but, unfortunately, didn’t see her. But it’s such a beautiful day, it makes sense that she wouldn’t make an appearance for fear of being seen. Better luck next time!

After the boat ride, we got back on the bus and continued our drive. We drove deeper into the Highlands and through some beautiful mountains! We stopped a few times to take in the view and walk down by the water. Our tour guide pointed out spots where they filmed Skyfall and the tv show Outlander. He also showed us a tree growing out a rock! It was a great time!

By this time, we were closing in on hour nine of twelve and a lot of the girls were feeling it. A lot of them get car sick and were all moving towards the front of the bus to try and feel better. I felt bad because I, of all people, know how awful feeling sick feels!

Finally, we got back to Edinburgh around 8:15 after a rousing rendition of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” were we basically screamed it around the bus! It was so much fun! I was super hungry when we got back and (finally) Kristen and I went back out from the hotel to get some pizza.

We ended up going to this greasy local place (that I’m feeling so hard right now ugh) and ran into Hannah and Abbey. They got their food to take away as well, and we all came back to our hotel room and ate together. They got deep fried pizza which looked really… interesting.

They left a little bit ago and I took a shower. And I’ll be going to bed very very soon! Even though I spent the majority of the day sitting on a bus, it still tired me out somehow. And I’m going on a hike tomorrow, so I need to reenergize for that!

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Scottish Scarves!

Today we got up early. And it felt very early! It didn’t help that I was feeling very crummy when I got up.  I finished packing and gathered up my stuff and then went out quickly to get some breakfast before we left for the train station. Walking out in the cool morning air made me feel a lot better, and so did eating something.

So I got back to the flat and we eventually left. We took the tube one stop over to Kings Cross and hung out there for a little bit until Katie got there and figured out our tickets. After a while, it was time for us to board and we got on our train.

It was a really nice train ride, other than some very happy travelers who were very loud, but they didn’t bother me too much. I did some research for my politics presentation and wrote my pitch for film class. Ironically, the latter was more difficult because I had to condense one of my favorite books into three paragraphs.

I also cleaned out my documents on my laptop and didn’t realize how many old writings I had saved on it. Some were very cringe-worthy but a lot of fun to read anyway.  I also started working on a new story, which felt so wonderful after I’ve had such a case of writer’s block the past few weeks.

Anyway, I eventually took a break from work and ate the lunch I packed. I watched some Top Gear, one of the three episodes I actually have saved to my iTunes so I’ve seen them so many times but it’s hard not to enjoy them.

I’m actually on the train right now and we should be getting there within the next half hour hopefully!

______________

The rest of the train ride was beautiful as it was right on the coast and we could see the water and it was so pretty! We finally got to the station and had a short walk to our hotel! It’s very nice! It’s like a mix between a bed and breakfast and a hotel, because it feels like a b&b but it has the amenities of a hotel. And our view is a cute little garden out the back of the hotel, and it’s so cute!

After we checked in and got settled, we set out again for our tour of Edinburgh castle. Katie bought us all audio guides (well, technically JMU bought them for us), and they were really interesting. The castle has a dog cemetery… interesting and kinda sad. But it also had a lot information about Mary Queen of Scots.

Eventually, I left the castle by myself and went and walked around town for a while. I bought a scarf and it’s so soft! And it’s a design that I’ve been eyeing for most of my time here, so I’m glad I finally got one! I found a Writer’s Museum dedicated to writers from Scotland and it was super cute and small and everything you’d think a writer’s museum would be. It also got me excited to visit the JK Rowling cafe on Sunday! (that’s not it’s actual name but it might as well be)

After walking around for a while, I ran into Kelly and a few other people and we walked around a little market for a while. Kelly and I thought about buying some beautiful little tea candles, but both agreed they would be too pretty to light and therefore we wouldn’t use them.  

The one downside of the hotel is that we only have one key between Kristen and I, as we’re sharing a room. And she had the key today when we left for the castle. At this point in the day, I was looking forward to going to dinner with my book and having an evening to myself. Because I can do that without any shame! So, I was trying to get into contact with Kristen and figure out where she was so I could get the key from her.

Eventually, I found her and got the key and went back to the hotel to get my book and chill for a minute. I saw a nice pub beside our hotel and walked over to get dinner. It was a really chill place, with a pretty decent burger and fries. And the book I’m reading is… amazing. I basically started it today and I’m already 30 pages in. It’s the book I got from Paris, The Power! It’s so good and so fast and I love it!

Anyway, after dinner, I went back to the hotel and was so happy to have an evening to myself in a room to myself. I took a nice long and hot shower and watched some tvs. Dance Moms! Score! Then I worked some more on my politics presentation and I think I’m in a pretty good place. Now I’m watching Gogglebox, which is the British version of the American show People’s Couch (both are hilarious and everyone should look them up and watch, they’re so funny).

I’ll probably go to sleep soon. Well, technically I can’t cause I have to open the door for Kristen when she gets back… So I’ll just chill and watch some tv until then. We have an early morning tomorrow for our 12 hour highlands tour! And I’m honestly so excited for it! Maybe we’ll see the Loch Ness monster, here’s hoping!

Steps/Miles: 22,527/9.24 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

Who Has Two Thumbs and Saw Idris Elba in Person? This Gal!

Today started out earlier than it really needed to, because I forgot our pop culture class didn’t start until 9:30 today. So I got some extra time to hang around the flat this morning before class.  It’s really sinking in that the number of classes we have is dwindling. Today was our last real class for pop culture, as next week is a short revision class.

Today we talked about digital media and how it’s changed in the past decades. Then we took the tube over to South Kensington. We went to the V&A to see the fashion exhibit there, which most of us had already seen with our history class. But then we went over to the science museum and looked at this exhibit on digital media and how much computers can tell about you based on what brands you like and stuff like that. It was really interesting, if not scary at the same time.

After that, we took the tube back to Bloomsbury and got lunch at Sainsbury’s. Then I just hung out at the flat until film class. I found myself in an increasingly bad mood that I’m mostly chalking up to the fact that I’m starting my period soon. That’s a pretty valid excuse, I think.

Anyway, I went to film which always lifts my mood! We talked about Apocalypse Now and the big films of the 70s, like Jaws and Star Wars. Needless to say, I really liked the lecture. Then we went to go see Personal Shopper.

We went to go see it at the movie theatre right by our flat, but once we got there we realized the timing was off and that we were an hour early for it. So, while we were waiting, we went to the nearby restaurant and everyone took advantage of the 2-for-1 margherita deal. Katie joined us near the end cause she wanted to see the movie too.

The movie was… interesting. Basically, the premise is that Kristen Stewart is a medium living in Paris attempting to make contact with her dead twin brother, living as a ‘personal shopper’ for a celebrity while she’s there. The story is intriguing and it offers a really modern ghost story when she starts getting texts from an unknown number. But it offers so little resolution, it made me angry! I don’t like films that are ambiguous, I need to know the answers! I also found it quite boring at moments, as there were lots of conversations and very little action except for a few scenes. So, yeah, I wasn’t a huge fan.

But after the movie, we’re leaving the theatre and notice a red carpet and a ruckus going on outside the movie theatre. Turns out, there’s a premiere of the Sky Tv show Guerrilla going on! And Idris Elba is in it! So while everyone else went back to the flat, I stuck around and got to see him! Idris Elba was literally right in front of me! I got his autograph! It was incredible and so much fun!

After that, I went and got some snacks for the train tomorrow to Scotland. Then I came back to the flat, had dinner, and took a shower. Then I packed for Scotland and I’ll probably got to bed soon because we’re taking an early train like last time. Very exciting!

Steps/Miles: 11,197/4.6 miles

[tryingtokeepcalm]

I’d Try to Make a Title but A Guy From My High School Just Showed Up on This Cheerleading Reality TV Show I’m Watching and I’m Shook

Another day in the salt mines! But it was still fun!

So we got up and went to history class. Got our papers back that we turned in a few weeks ago (or was it last week? I honestly can’t remember), and I got a B+. Pretty great, considering I didn’t put as much effort into this one as I could have. My professor assured me it was okay, like I was gonna be upset over it, but honestly I was fine with it! Considering I’ve only gotten A's on everything else in the class, one B+ is far from the worst thing that could happen in that class.

We talked about Britain in the 1970s, all the political, economic, and social change that was going on that period. It was cool mixing what I already knew and what I didn’t. Next week we’re gonna talk about the 80s. And next week is our last week… ugh, moving on, moving on!

After class, we went to the London Transport Museum which… blew me away! It was so cool and amazing for kids! If you ever are traveling in London with kids, please take them there. They’ll enjoy it, you’ll enjoy it, it’s super cute! We went and got in an elevator and you could see the dates “going back in time,” as it was a museum about the history of public transport in London. And as the time spun backwards, I commented “I can feel my rights falling away!” and my professor laughed so hard! She thought it was so funny, and I was so happy she did. She’s so sweet, I’m gonna miss her so much!

In the museum, you get to see models of old trains and buses and the original tube system. They had old signs from the original tube system, which were really cool! It was so cool. And they also had speculations of what things would look like in the future, like 2040. Maybe I’ll be living in London by then???

Anyway, after the museum, I took the tube over to Brick Lane and went on my own little Jack the Ripper walk based on Rick Steve’s book. And it didn’t cost me a cent! It’s basically three blocks connected to each other, so it wasn’t a large feat to take on. And it was a side of London I haven’t really seen, with the more tenement buildings and old workhouses.

After that, I took the tube back to the flat and had lunch. Then I went, yet again, to the classroom building and I wrote my theatre paper. Woo, another 1500 page paper under the belt! But it’s theatre, so it came a lot easier to me than my pop culture paper. Speaking of which, I realized I had to add a paragraph to that and I also realized it isn’t completely incomprehensible! Yay!

Once I finished that up, I went back to the flat and hung out for a little while before dinner. After dinner, we had our weekly meeting and talked about Scotland this weekend! It’s actually exciting now, considering I only have one assignment I really need to work over the weekend and won’t have to spend the whole time stressing about work. I’m especially excited for the 12 hour Highlands tour! We’re gonna see Loch Ness! What??? And I’m also excited for the four hour train ride, because I love long train rides. Especially when I don’t have to worry about getting off at certain stops or stuff like that.

After the meeting, I went out and bought some salt (because our flat was completely out!) and went by a building down the street where the Bloomsbury group lived! Very cool and on my bucket list. Because it’s staying lighter so much later, I can actually walk around in the evening without being terrified for my life or stuff like that. So I got to walk through some little parks and take some beautiful pictures of the budding trees. It’s beautiful!

I got back to the flat, took a shower, and now I’m just relaxing for the rest of the night!

Steps/Miles: 14,244/ 5.85 miles