It has been just over a month since I left England. Since leaving, I lived in two different places in Massachusetts and then moved out to California. It was hectic, and I admit it is strange to look back on the past semester. It feels like it couldn't have been real, somehow. There are things I wish I'd done while over there; some big things like taking more trips to places, others smaller (yet more important) such as conversations I wish I'd had with people. I take comfort in knowing that I can go back to London someday, and I certainly plan to. The conversations are another matter, but in my experience life has a funny way of working itself out. We'll see what happens. In the words of the Happy Mask Salesman: "Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever...Whether a parting be forever or merely a short time...That is up to you."
Normally I don't recommend taking comfort in anything this man says, but I think he was on to something there.
Enough melancholy, let's take a look back at some good things.
This semester was great both in England and back at MCLA. In my absence from North Adams, I won a Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities award and got inducted into Llamda Iota Tau, an honors society for English majors. Meanwhile, in England, I regained a little something called self confidence. I knew I would "find myself" a bit in England, but sometimes the things I found were things I thought I could never get back. When I found them, I realized how strange it felt to be without them, and how important it was to never lose sight of them again. It was a semester of self-discovery, and I am grateful for everything that I learned.
Readers with impeccably good memories may recall the first post I made about my arrival in England. Recap: I had talked to a man who lived in America and he told me about his "America moment", the moment in which it really hit him that he was in another country. Well, I had an England moment. It was nothing like I imagined it would be, but here you go: I don't remember exactly when it happened. One day I was just walking through Surbiton. It was cloudy, raining, and I noticed that everyone I passed was wearing black and looked depressed. It was as if everyone was attending a funeral in really bad weather. That was it. I started laughing out loud and thought, "Oh my God, I am in London!"
On the subject of rain: England has a lot of it. The only way I can think to describe it adequately is with this video:
Despite all of the rain and the cold, I had a blast in England. I really miss that country, and I will visit again someday. Thank you for a great semester, England!
So what happens now? Well, I am in California, as you know. I have spent most of my time organizing a spreadsheet and Word document filled with stats and notes about various graduate schools I want to apply to. The process of choosing a school, getting all of the information I need, and ultimately deciding if I want to apply looks something like this:
I kid, of course. It's actually all quite exciting! I am learning about a bunch of really engaging MFA programs. I will be applying to around 10 or 11 schools, most of which I would be very lucky to get accepted to. I do have some safety schools in there, of course, but for the most part I would be both happy honored to get into any school on my list. They are all institutions worthy of their reputation, and I can get a fantastic education at any one of them. Once my applications are sent in this Fall, I play the waiting game until around March and find out where I'm going. As of now, I could end up in any of the following states:
Technically the Massachusetts one is low-residency, so I wouldn't necessarily need to live there. Also, Oregon and Iowa are possibilities I am looking into.
That's where things stand now. Until I can send in the applications, I will be studying for GREs, working on my writing sample, and trying to find work so I have an income (always helpful).
That about wraps things up. My next adventure will likely take place in the United States. I don't know when, but I will be sure to write all about it!
Thank you for reading! I know this was a short post. Hopefully I will be writing again soon. Now, I formally give my final English goodbye: Until next time...Cheers!
I apologize, for it has been far too long since I've written! I have either been working on final projects or having bunches of fun. It's been a good two weeks!
To start, on May 1st Kingston University treated its international students to a boat party on the Thames. That's right: free food, expensive drinks, and dancing, all while riding a boat down the river. It was probably one of the best nights of the semester. As usual, Paul (the study abroad coordinator) and Elly (our British Life and Culture teacher) were there to join in the festivities. It was an incredible four hours.
Paul and Elly!
The next big event was on May 8th, where the international kids once again got together in The King's Tun to get free food and free drinks. (You may recall that this happened at the beginning of the year as well.) This was a bit sad, as I realized how quickly the semester had gone by. However, with tons of free drinks (with Paul and Elly, as usual), delicious free food, and a team-based trivia game, there was no time for sorrow! Me, Amy, Lauren, Madilyn, and Matt (who Paul kindly let in despite the fact that he's not international) formed Team 'Murica Plus One and we actually won the game! Our prizes were postcards, little bookmarks, and candies. Go team!
Amy, Madilyn, and me! (And Becca in the background)
Welcome to the Team 'Murica table.
We get silly.
Me and Paul!
Drinking with Elly.
Drinking Jagerbombs with Paul.
The following Friday, May 10th, Amy's friend from Missouri, Sam, came to visit. Sam is studying abroad in Germany and decided to head over to London briefly. I still had yet to go clubbing, so me, Amy, and Sam decided that a great night out would be to go to Oceana (a club in Kingston). We planned on meeting Matt and his friends at the club, though they would show up much later than us (1AM instead of 11PM). Not that we cared, because that just gave us more time to dance with each other! Before leaving for the club, we had a fun-filled photoshoot while listening to Madonna's Vogue.
Work it.
Once we got there, I was amazed at how big Oceana was. Again, I had never been clubbing until that night so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. We spent all night dancing in the Cheese Room, which just plays cheesy/fun music. It was great! When we first arrived, one young man attempted to buy us drinks. Unfortunately he was so drunk that the bartender wouldn't serve him. He disappeared for awhile and I assumed that he went home or got kicked out...until he showed up about three hours later MUCH more intoxicated than he was the first time. Apparently he found drinks somewhere. Well done, mate.
I noticed that before the boys showed up, we got stared at quite a bit. I'll assume it was because we are three wonderfully attractive ladies. I admit, sometimes the staring was mildly unsettling. Gents: if you have something to say to a lady, please just say it and face potential rejection rather than eerily staring at her from a distance for long periods of time. We appreciate it. Also noted: American accents get people noticed. The second any of the three of us started talking, we had people asking us where we were from and telling us all about how much they loved America and how awesome it is.
'MERICA!
Other than the odd stares, it was a good night! We might be heading back to Oceana tomorrow for student night, but that has yet to be confirmed.
Clearly the most attractive group in the club.
On Sunday, the 12th, I got together with Sam, Amy, Matt, Cody, Becca, and Lauren and we had ourselves a party. It was American themed, which meant Hamburger Helper, Tennessee Whiskey, Pop Tarts, Nerds, Junior Mints, and other random American foods we were able to get our hands on. (I made fajitas, only because Mexican food isn't popular in Britain and I wanted Matt to try them.) We listened to country music all night and enjoyed ourselves.
That's all the major activity to report! Besides these get-togethers, I've been finishing my final projects or just casually hanging out with people.
I can't believe I only have two more days in England. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in the states again, and graduating will be fun, but I don't want to leave the people I've met here! :( I have no major plans yet (besides the potential Oceana trip and finishing my projects). I would like to get one more pasty before returning to the sadly pasty-less Massachusetts. Other than that, I'll just wait and see where the next two days take me.
The next blog post will be the last on England. I'm not sure if I'll be writing it here or once I am in the states and looking back. One thing is for sure: there will be tears.
This week certainly makes up for the relative lack of adventures documented in the last post! I do apologize for how long it has taken to write this; being busy combined with Blogger uploading pictures with all the speed of a two-legged turtle has made things a bit difficult. However, due to the delay I am able to incorporate my visit to Portobello Road in this post, so I guess things worked out!
On Saturday (April 20th) our British Life and Culture class gathered in a coach bus and headed off to Stonehenge (about two hours away from Kingston) for our final class trip. I had planned to sleep on the way there as I had only gotten two hours of sleep after staying up all night streaming the Boston news and waiting for the bombing suspect to be apprehended (which was worth watching). However, I did not anticipate that the driver would put on a soundtrack of women's power anthems for the road trip. So instead of sleeping, I was dancing to It's Raining Men, Respect, and so on.
We arrived in Stonehenge and spent an hour walking around admiring the structure. Before I get to the pretty pictures (save the one right below this), let me talk a little bit about the history of Stonehenge.
Stonehenge took a long time to build; the process began around 3,300 B.C. and ended around 2,200 B.C. Building Stonehenge must have been quite an achievement for people who used deer antlers to dig the holes for the stones and used other stones to carve and shape the big ones. Given how big the stones are, it would take hundreds of well-organized people to drag the stones to the site. Some of the stones came from 240 miles away in Wales! The biggest mystery behind Stonehenge is, of course, why it was built. There are plenty of theories but we may never know the real reason. It has been known for a long time that Stonehenge aligns with the midsummer sunrise. This, combined with the fact that human remains have been found on the site, suggests that Stonehenge was a temple for worshipping the sun and/or the moon. The site could have also been used to make calculations about the movements of the sun, moon, and stars. Whatever the reason, it is certainly something to be admired. If you go visit though, note that you will be about 30 yards away from the stones at all times (unless you go during a solstice festival, in which case you and thousands of other people will be allowed to walk among the stones).
Stonehenge locals.
Stonehenge surroundings.
Glorious Stonehenge.
After departing Stonehenge, we headed to Bath for the remainder of the day. Bath is the site of Aquae Sulis, a Roman city that existed from AD 43 to AD 410. There were natural hot springs there which had been used and worshipped for centuries before the arrival of the Romans. The Romans integrated themselves with the British by dedicating the new temple to Sulis Minerva, a combination of the pre-Roman deity Sul and the Roman goddess of wisdom and healing, Minerva. Just as it did then, the hot spring water now gushes out 250,000 gallons a day at a temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Before visiting the actual Roman baths, we got a walking tour of the city and some free time to explore.
Yeah Boston!
Nananananananana-BATHMAN!
Lovely countryside on the way to Bath.
Right, onto the Roman baths. The baths were famous for their healing properties and have been getting visitors from around Britain for hundreds of years. The main terrace that visitors first walk on to was completed in 1897. From there, visitors can look down into one of the baths (which is filled with contaminated water and some ducks). The terrace has statues of Roman emperors and governors of Britannia surrounding it. Some of the statues are of Julius Caesar, Vespasian, and Constantine the Great, among others.
Original layout of the baths.
The resident ducks.
Inside the museum there are relics from the Roman times such as gravestones, jewelry, and even the temple pediment which stood at the front of the Temple of Sulis Minerva. Back in its time, it looked down on visitors to the courtyard from 15 meters up and dominated the scene.
To the naked eye, the glowing light stuff is not really visible. I was rather bewildered when I first saw the photograph.
Mosaic.
Head of Sulis Minerva, I believe.
I mentioned gravestones; one of the graves for viewing is that of Gaius Calpurnius Receptus, the priest in charge of the temple. His gravestone is in the shape of an altar, and is the only funerary monument from Roman Britain in which the occupation of the deceased is reflected by the monument's shape. This likely shows the pride Receptus' widow had in his work.
The baths were a fun visit, but I liked just walking around the city most of all. It is a beautiful place! There is a lot to see and do as well. It's definitely worth taking the trip! After all, it is the only city in Britain that is a World Heritage City.
Yesterday morning I joined my friend Lauren for a trip to Portobello Road, a famous market street in the Notting Hill district of London. It is known for its antiques (it is supposedly one of the largest antique markets in the UK), and Saturday mornings are the best times to go and see what the market has to offer. As we discovered, it seems more like a tourist destination than a place local Londoners go, but it is definitely worth seeing. There's even a fancy song about it thanks to Disney:
Our trip to Portobello Road wasn't quite that zany, but it came really darn close! (Though I admit, some dancing sailors would have been nice.) One of the first people we ran into on Portobello Road was....Charlie Chaplin! He was very funny and made for a great start to our morning. (We saw him on the way out as well and waved at each other.)
The thing about Portobello Road that kept on surprising me and Lauren was how big it was. The road itself is, I believe, two miles long. There are dozens and dozens of stalls on both sides of the road, plus other stalls on little side-streets and open market-like areas (like one called Portobello Green). Anything you want to buy, you probably can: antiques, books, street foods (of all varieties), movies, music (records and CDs), make up, all kinds of clothing (especially vintage), and more. It is almost overwhelming, but in a really good way. There will always be something new to see.
Lauren treated us to Nutella crepes. Mmm.
There were several old book stalls. I looked through every single one.
The street foods smelled so good.
We ran into three bands playing on the road as well. The first one was the most entertaining in that the lead singer's microphone was a hairbrush and his guitar was Barbie or some similar brand. The other guitarist was using a Guitar Hero controller. They were playing (lip-synching) Get Off Of My Cloud. They gathered large crowds, much to the annoyance of drivers trying to get down the road that intersected Portobello at that particular spot.
We waited until the song was over and loudly cheered.
Another band we ran into was a band called Flyte singing Slip Sliding Away. They harmonized very well and managed to gather a decent crowd. They have a Facebook account and a website if you want to check them out: flyteband.co.uk and facebook.com/flyteband
Quite possibly the most surprising band we stumbled across was a band called the Hightown Crows. They sound like they should be from Appalachia. They have a Southern blues sound to them that caught me and Lauren completely by surprise. We never expected to hear that kind of music in central London. (They, too, have a website: hightowncrows.co.uk )
Heading back to the station, I noticed a blue plaque on a building near the entrance to Portobello Road. I am glad I spotted it: The plaque marked George Orwell's house!
That wrapped up our day at the market. I made one purchase at an old book stall, and it was something I had been looking for: an old copy of some of John Milton's works. I managed to find one at the second stall we visited. It's a small book containing all of his poetical works, and was published in 1833. Mission: Accomplished.
I would like to go back to Portobello Road before I leave. There is always more to see...
The days in between these stories were spent in classes or in pubs. Now that my fellow international students and I have done most of the touristy stuff we intended to do, we find that going out to pubs is the best way to get together and socialize. Always fun, no big trips needed. Whenever we need something to do, we head to the nearest pub and call it a night.
Basically.
That wraps this up. I think it's about time for me to work on actual homework. After all, this week is the final week of my undergraduate career (*heartattack*), so I should probably spend some time acting like a student. Until next time...Cheers!
