Over the course of two months, I wrote and researched 80 pages for my two study abroad classes, 30 of which was in the past two weeks--over three times the length of my senior thesis and in about half the time. But now, I am happy to say...

I'M DONE!!!

And I have to say, it feels pretty amazing. I can get up and just do whatever I feel like. I don't have to spend hours researching or trying to BS my way through a 15 page paper.

So now, I'm watching Australia with my mom while we pack up all the crap I'm taking with me to my apartment. I forgot what an amazing movie this is--anyone want to take a trip to the Outback with me? (And I don't mean the restaurant). Also, I'd really like to marry Hugh Jackman. Think his wife would mind?

I'm about to go start the daunting task of packing my clothes, which will probably take me the rest of the week. And I have no idea how I'm going to transport them all. Or maybe I'll just head up to the outlets and buy more...why deal with the problem when I can just add to it?

=]

Today, we went to Westminster Abbey. It was absolutely gorgeous, but they wouldn't let you take pictures! I thought that was ridiculous, so I cheated and took them with my phone instead. They're horribly quality, especially compared with my fancy new camera, but I thought I'd post them because it was easy to send
them to my computer via Bluetooth.


Ceiling




Someone's tomb. One of the King Richards, I think?


Coronation Chair


Queen Elizabeth I's tomb


And again


One of the people buried with Mary, Queen of Scots whose name I can't remember


Top of Mary, Queen of Scots Effigy Tomb


Mary, Queen of Scots Effigy Tomb

Picture custom of BBC

So, here's my interesting story for the day:

I got up this morning to go see a play, The Tempest, in Regents Park in the Open Air Theatre at 9:45 AM. We were to leave at 7 AM in order to get there in time, but three people didn't wake up on time, making us late. Instead of hiring a bus to take us there, Dr. Trivedi, the program director, decided that we would use public transportation to take us to London, since there's a bus stop right next to Regents Park, and it would be cheaper and convenient. Because we were late, we had to take the Oxford bus to the bus station to take us to London.

We got to the play 5 minutes before it started, watched it, and left (unfortunately they had designed this one to be geared towards kids, so I didn't like it as much as the one I watched a few days ago).

Dr. Trivedi had given us round trip bus tickets, so we could go back any time we wanted. The Victorian literature people had class at 2:30, so they had to leave immediately to get back in time, but history wasn't until 4:40, giving us some time to do whatever before going back. Two friends and I decided to get lunch before getting back on the bus to go home, so everyone else left, and we went to Pizza Express (which was actually pretty good!).

In the middle of lunch, we get a call from Trivedi. Did you know that there was a protest about Sri Lanka going on in London today? Well, that means that all the roads get blocked surrounding the protest. The rest of the class hadn't been able to use the bus stop we arrived at, because the roads around us were blocked. He told us to get a cab to take us to Victoria Coach Station, and we could catch another bus there to take us to Oxford. So, we finished eating and hailed a cab. Twenty minutes later, the cab driver told us that he couldn't get to Victoria Coach Station, because with the road blocks, he was just going in circles. So we got out, and called Trivedi again. He told us to hail another cab and go to Paddington Station, then catch a train to Oxford. We got the cab, and drove around for another twenty to thirty minutes. We made it to Paddington Station, and bought three train tickets. However, the train was leaving in 6 minutes, and we didn't know where the platform was or how to get to it. We did find it, right as it was leaving, and were able to get on.

Once in Oxford, we had no idea where we were, because none of us had ever been to the train station. We asked several bus drivers, but none of them could take us to the UGA House. So, we got another cab.

Three hours after we left Pizza Express, three cabs, and a train later, we finally made it back - before anyone else! They must still be either in London, on a bus, or on a train - I'm not sure. On the bright side, we did get to see a lot of London our first day there, and we're being reimbursed for all the money we spent on transportation. Plus, we figured out where the train station is and bought our tickets for when we go back tomorrow!

While you can't see it very well in this picture, because we were facing the wrong way, this is me and some others from the UGA at Oxford program standing in front of Christ Church, which has one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. I haven't gone in yet, but I'm planning on it as soon as I have the time. This is where they filmed the moving staircase scene from Harry Potter! I've also seen the place where they filmed the dining hall scenes. Exciting =]

On the same day that we took this picture, I also went into a building that has been around since the 1200s. It's been completely refurbished - in the 1500s! Everything is so old here. What they consider to be "recent" is often before my country was even a real country yet. It's incredible!

Yesterday and today have been devoted to papers. I was up until about 4 AM finishing one, and I'm now working on the other. But after that, I don't really have much due the whole time I'm here.

As a side note, here are some things I've learned thus far:

• The dollar to pound exchange rate SUCKS
• Coke Zero tastes funny
• You're supposed to eat pizza with a knife and fork
• They intentionally give you more reading than you could ever possibly finish
• Drunk Englishmen will serenade you with birthday songs if asked nicely
• The peanut butter also tastes funny
• People back home sometimes forget about the time difference and call you at 3 AM
• In the summer, the birds start chirping at 3:45 AM and the sun starts to rise at 4
• Pea puree comes with everything
• This is the land of no free refills
• Everything comes in really tiny glasses. Obviously they don't like liquids
• Baked beans are a breakfast food
• It's a trolley, not a cart or a buggy, and you must pay for it, along with your plastic grocery bags
• If you have one foot in the bike lane, someone will ring their bike bell angrily at you

Well, I'm off to do more of my paper. Cheerio!

Well, I made it to Oxford in one piece. This is a picture of my bedroom. There are four beds (you can't see one), but I only have one roommate. I'm on the third floor, and let me tell you, dragging a 65 pound suitcase up two flights of stairs is NO FUN.

It was... interesting, getting here. I arrived in London at noon yesterday after the longest flight of my life. I found several other people from UGA, and we managed to find the right bus to get us to Oxford. Then they went to their hotel, and I went to mine. It was quite possibly the smallest room I've ever seen, but comfy enough. It had a bed and a shower, which is all I really cared about. The jet lag is getting to me though - I went to bed at 8:45 PM, woke up at 1 AM, went back to sleep aroud 4:30 AM, and then woke up around 8 AM. And now, I'm sleepy again, but I'm trying to keep myself from taking a nap so I'll get used to the time difference.

It's weird. The people here have been either really rude, or really nice. Some of the rude ones were in the airport, and all airport people are rude, so that's not too surprising. I went to lunch at an Italian place with 4 other girls today, though, and the man who brought our food out was terribly rude to us. He was nice to the rest of the (British) customers though, so it had to be because we're American. Our waitress was really nice, however. It's like there's no "in the middle".

I've also found that I'm a little more homesick than I thought that I would be. It's probably because this is the first time that I'm really traveling alone, with absolutely no one that I know and am familiar with. I've met some people, but it's not quite the same. I find myself wanting to call my parents all the time, but at $1 a minute, I can't.

Also, the voltage converter I brought with me so that I can use British outlets decided it doesn't want to work. One of the other people here let me use his, so I'm able to charge my laptop. I just hope that the stores are still open when I go on my walking tour through the City Center of Oxford later.

I'm also slightly stressed, since I have two papers due Monday, neither of which I've started. I guess that's what I'll be doing tonight and tomorrow night, I guess. I have a free day on Monday, so I'm really hoping that the papers will be due by Monday night.

Overall, I'm doing pretty well. I feel a bit lonely, since I'm separated from the other 4 girls, who are rooming together, and my roommate is off with her dad. I think things will improve in that area once we start going to class and on the various excursions. I'll be taking lots of pictures!