You guys, I really love London. :-)
These past couple of weeks have been really nice. I've gotten into more of a normal routine, but there are still exciting events thrown in here and there. Bible study is great!! It is held at the church's student house and led by the pastor, and it's such a comfortable atmosphere. Each session begins with a hymn and a prayer. We have been discussing women in the church..the first week was really great, but this past week left me a bit frustrated. The ELCE does not allow women to be pastors, so I was kind of expecting the conversation to take the turn that it did...it's ok, though, because it is causing me to explore the topic more deeply in my own time. Questions are good, questions are good.
My Art and Society class took me to the Banqueting House in White Hall during week 2. The paintings on the ceiling were beautiful, and we got to lie on the floor and gaze up at them while the professor explained each detail. During week 3, lecture was held at All Saints church and All Souls church, and both of them were also very beautiful.
And now, on to theater. I saw two incredible productions this week. On Saturday the 18th, I met up with Taylor, my friend from IWU, for lunch at a market in Covent Garden before buying tickets to see Les Mis! Taylor is a theater major studying at LAMDA for a semester, so it was really fun to see this show with her and hear her comments. Les Mis was amazing. Absolutely amazing. The voices, the acting, the show itself...ahhh. I still have the songs stuck in my head. Then, on Wednesday, I went to see the stage version of Rain Man starring...Josh Hartnett! I was really impressed with Adam Godley, the actor who played Raymond, the autistic brother. His performance was so convincing and touching. I actually wasn't all that impressed with Josh Hartnett at the beginning, but he got better as the show went on. :-) Like I'm some kind of critic...haha.
Anyone ever tried beans on toast? A girl in my London Theatre class told me about it...apparently it's popular here. Just butter toast and pour baked beans on top of it. I thought it sounded weird and disgusting, but it's actually really tasty!
And for all you Harry Potter fans, I totally went to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross. Harry and Professor McGonagall say hi.
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/MindTheGap#
Love to you all.
Maria
Friday, October 24, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wait...I actually have to learn stuff?
Well, I'm finished with my first week of classes, and I think I'm looking at a good semester! I take Intro to Linguistics on Mondays, and while it's a looooong 3 hour lecture, it is an interesting subject. 19th Century London is on Tuesdays, and our professor, who is an interesting character, took us on a field walk on the first day. It was cool to hear about the history of the buildings that are right around our classroom!
My Art & Society class is on Wednesdays, and it is the most exciting by far. We meet for an hour for lecture, and then the next two hours are spent in museums and other cool places. And where, you may ask, did we go on our first day? WELL...none other than St. Paul's Cathedral! I was so excited to go back! We got to go back into the Quire, up into the Whispering Gallery, and then up to the very top of the cathedral. The view was absolutely spectacular, and it was worth every single one of those 528 stairs...even the scary ones. You'll see what I mean if you look at my photos.
London Theatre and Performance takes the Thursday slot. I think that this class will be fun and relaxed; the professor seems to be very easygoing. There is a recommended show to see every week of the semester, which could be very expensive, but we are not required to go to all of them. I have never heard of many of the shows that she listed, but I'm going to see Rain Man (starring Josh Hartnett!) on October 22 at the Apollo Theatre.
Outside of class, I visited the London Zoo, Primrose Hill, Abbey Road, and Kensington Gardens this week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for 5 days in a row, so we definitely took advantage of the opportunity to see those outdoor sites.
I have really begun to look forward to Sundays here; I always seem to come away from them with awesome stories. I decided to try a different Lutheran church this week, so I chose Luther-Tyndale Memorial Church from the list that Google gave me. I had a really good feeling about it as soon as I walked in...the sanctuary is beautiful, and it just felt very comfortable. The congregation was small, but it had a nice mix of ages, and quite a few college-age people. Christian fellowship is something that has been lacking during my 3 weeks here, so I was really excited to see so many people my age. The service was great, and everyone really sang out during the hymns, filling the sanctury with beautiful music.
You Roths and Faith Lutheranites will appreciate this: at one point during the service, the pastor (who already kind of reminded me of Dad) divided the congregation into two groups to sing "Seek Ye First" in...you guessed it... a round. It was also the only hymn that was accompanied by the guitar instead of the organ. I kid you not. Needless to say, I felt right at home!
Afterward, I went to coffee hour in the gathering area and sat with a lovely older Chinese man named Joseph. It turns out that he went to a Lutheran seminary in Hong Kong and was taught by Lutheran missionaries from the U.S. I also met his wife, Gina, and the three of us sat and chatted for a while, mostly about Lutherans and why Shanghai is awesome. :-) After talking to them, I talked to the pastor for a bit and then to his daughter, who is in her final year of university in London. She introduced me to the other college-age folks, and pretty soon I found myself agreeing to go to Bible Study at the church's student house on Tuesday night! They were all so unbelievably welcoming, and I can't wait to go! I will definitely be going back to the church next Sunday, and probably for the rest of my stay here. God is good!
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/PalacesParksAndCathedrals#
Take care, everyone! Love and miss you!
Maria
My Art & Society class is on Wednesdays, and it is the most exciting by far. We meet for an hour for lecture, and then the next two hours are spent in museums and other cool places. And where, you may ask, did we go on our first day? WELL...none other than St. Paul's Cathedral! I was so excited to go back! We got to go back into the Quire, up into the Whispering Gallery, and then up to the very top of the cathedral. The view was absolutely spectacular, and it was worth every single one of those 528 stairs...even the scary ones. You'll see what I mean if you look at my photos.
London Theatre and Performance takes the Thursday slot. I think that this class will be fun and relaxed; the professor seems to be very easygoing. There is a recommended show to see every week of the semester, which could be very expensive, but we are not required to go to all of them. I have never heard of many of the shows that she listed, but I'm going to see Rain Man (starring Josh Hartnett!) on October 22 at the Apollo Theatre.
Outside of class, I visited the London Zoo, Primrose Hill, Abbey Road, and Kensington Gardens this week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for 5 days in a row, so we definitely took advantage of the opportunity to see those outdoor sites.
I have really begun to look forward to Sundays here; I always seem to come away from them with awesome stories. I decided to try a different Lutheran church this week, so I chose Luther-Tyndale Memorial Church from the list that Google gave me. I had a really good feeling about it as soon as I walked in...the sanctuary is beautiful, and it just felt very comfortable. The congregation was small, but it had a nice mix of ages, and quite a few college-age people. Christian fellowship is something that has been lacking during my 3 weeks here, so I was really excited to see so many people my age. The service was great, and everyone really sang out during the hymns, filling the sanctury with beautiful music.
You Roths and Faith Lutheranites will appreciate this: at one point during the service, the pastor (who already kind of reminded me of Dad) divided the congregation into two groups to sing "Seek Ye First" in...you guessed it... a round. It was also the only hymn that was accompanied by the guitar instead of the organ. I kid you not. Needless to say, I felt right at home!
Afterward, I went to coffee hour in the gathering area and sat with a lovely older Chinese man named Joseph. It turns out that he went to a Lutheran seminary in Hong Kong and was taught by Lutheran missionaries from the U.S. I also met his wife, Gina, and the three of us sat and chatted for a while, mostly about Lutherans and why Shanghai is awesome. :-) After talking to them, I talked to the pastor for a bit and then to his daughter, who is in her final year of university in London. She introduced me to the other college-age folks, and pretty soon I found myself agreeing to go to Bible Study at the church's student house on Tuesday night! They were all so unbelievably welcoming, and I can't wait to go! I will definitely be going back to the church next Sunday, and probably for the rest of my stay here. God is good!
New photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/PalacesParksAndCathedrals#
Take care, everyone! Love and miss you!
Maria
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Exploring England
I just had the most incredible weekend! Lots of traveling and exploring historic places...
On Saturday, October 4th, I went on a day trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. Blenheim Palace, which is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is so beautiful...and HUGE! There were so many wide open areas, and the architecture of the building itself was so detailed. We went on a tour of the inside, where we saw the room where Winston Churchill was born (complete with locks of his hair in a frame on the wall...I found it kind of funny). There were so many tapestries and paintings all over the walls of every single room. It was gorgeous. After the tour, we walked around the gardens for a bit. However, it was very windy, so we were not out there very long.
Next stop: Oxford. Such a nice place! 4 of us ate lunch at Three Goats Head, where I had chicken and mushroom pie with chips (fries) and vegetables...mmmm. We immediately set out for Christ Church after we ate. Christ Church is famous for many reasons, but I have to admit...the most exciting thing was getting to see the Great Hall and the staircase where they filmed Harry Potter! The Great Hall was much smaller than I had imagined it, but it was still SO COOL! I took some pretty neat photos there. The inside of the cathedral was lovely--I could have sat and stared at everything for hours; just being in there was calming. After we left Christ Church, we walked to Bodleian Library, which, unfortunately, was closed to visitors.
The following Sunday, I went to a nice little Lutheran church, St. Anne's. It was a very small congregation, but the people were from all over the world, which was very cool. Then, at 3:00, I attended evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The bells were ringing as I walked up the steps, but as soon as the door closed behind me, all that remained was a still, magnificent silence. The cathedral is beautiful, and it took all of my energy to hold back tears as I wandered around, awestruck by every little detail. The usher showed me to the only remaining front row seat, and I held it together pretty well until the choir began singing the Lord's Prayer. The sights, the sounds, and the undeniable presence of God in that place was so astounding and so beautiful, and I left feeling more at peace than I have in quite a while.
I'm in the process of planning several trips, so I know that I'll have much more to write about! I miss you all; take care!
Oh, and here are the new pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/OxfordBlenheimPalaceAndStPaulSCathedral#
Much love,
Maria
On Saturday, October 4th, I went on a day trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. Blenheim Palace, which is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is so beautiful...and HUGE! There were so many wide open areas, and the architecture of the building itself was so detailed. We went on a tour of the inside, where we saw the room where Winston Churchill was born (complete with locks of his hair in a frame on the wall...I found it kind of funny). There were so many tapestries and paintings all over the walls of every single room. It was gorgeous. After the tour, we walked around the gardens for a bit. However, it was very windy, so we were not out there very long.
Next stop: Oxford. Such a nice place! 4 of us ate lunch at Three Goats Head, where I had chicken and mushroom pie with chips (fries) and vegetables...mmmm. We immediately set out for Christ Church after we ate. Christ Church is famous for many reasons, but I have to admit...the most exciting thing was getting to see the Great Hall and the staircase where they filmed Harry Potter! The Great Hall was much smaller than I had imagined it, but it was still SO COOL! I took some pretty neat photos there. The inside of the cathedral was lovely--I could have sat and stared at everything for hours; just being in there was calming. After we left Christ Church, we walked to Bodleian Library, which, unfortunately, was closed to visitors.
The following Sunday, I went to a nice little Lutheran church, St. Anne's. It was a very small congregation, but the people were from all over the world, which was very cool. Then, at 3:00, I attended evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The bells were ringing as I walked up the steps, but as soon as the door closed behind me, all that remained was a still, magnificent silence. The cathedral is beautiful, and it took all of my energy to hold back tears as I wandered around, awestruck by every little detail. The usher showed me to the only remaining front row seat, and I held it together pretty well until the choir began singing the Lord's Prayer. The sights, the sounds, and the undeniable presence of God in that place was so astounding and so beautiful, and I left feeling more at peace than I have in quite a while.
I'm in the process of planning several trips, so I know that I'll have much more to write about! I miss you all; take care!
Oh, and here are the new pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/OxfordBlenheimPalaceAndStPaulSCathedral#
Much love,
Maria
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hello from London!
From Wednesday, October 1, 2008:
Hello, all! I hope that everything is going well back in the States! I am having an INCREDIBLE time in London. Living here is definitely a big change from Jacksonville (understatement of the year), and I absolutely love taking the tube and walking around in the midst of so much history.
After I arrived on September 21st, I spent 3 days at the Thistle Euston Hotel for orientation. During that time, I went to the British Library where the Gutenberg Bible, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Magna Carta, and The Beatles' original lyrics were on display. Also, some of you may remember the time that I fell in love with Jane Austen's book Persuasion...I got to see the original manuscript!! I also went to see the show Billy Elliott at Victoria Palace...my program provided all of us with free tickets! This kid couldn't have been more than 12 years old, but he was an absolutely amazing dancer. I LOVED it.
After orientation, I spent 3 days living with a family in Swansea, Wales. The couple I stayed with was so friendly and hospitable, and they have an 8-year old daughter who I got along with very well. I went to Gower and Mumbles, which are absolutely gorgeous. Most of my photos are from my stay in Wales.
The bus ride back from Wales was quite an experience. What was supposed to be a 4 hour trip turned into a 10 hour disaster--it turns out that our bus driver was not from London and didn't know where anything was. We ended up completely lost in the outskirts of London, and when we finally made it back to central London, our bus got stuck when we tried to turn on a narrow road. One of our group members got out and directed traffic, and we eventually backed out of the turn and continued to drive down the street in reverse until we found somewhere that the bus could fit. When I finally made it to my dorm at 7:00 pm, I realized that I had no bedding and that the stores closed at 5:00. So, I bundled up some sweaters for a pillow and slept under my winter coat on the bare mattress...until the fire alarm went off at 3 am and our entire dorm had to go stand outside in the London drizzle for a half hour. Haha, it was QUITE a day!
Also, something interesting: out of the 19 students from across the US who are in my program, 1 of them is a student at Illinois College! He says he took your class, Karen Dean, and you're the reason that he's interested in politics. His name is Andrew Tepavchevich. Small world!
If you would like to look at all of my photos, go to this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/WelcomeToGreatBritain# I'll add photos as I have more incredible experiences!
I love you all very, very much, and I hope that you have a beautiful October! I'll continue to update you on what's happening with me! God bless!
Love,
Maria
Hello, all! I hope that everything is going well back in the States! I am having an INCREDIBLE time in London. Living here is definitely a big change from Jacksonville (understatement of the year), and I absolutely love taking the tube and walking around in the midst of so much history.
After I arrived on September 21st, I spent 3 days at the Thistle Euston Hotel for orientation. During that time, I went to the British Library where the Gutenberg Bible, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, the Magna Carta, and The Beatles' original lyrics were on display. Also, some of you may remember the time that I fell in love with Jane Austen's book Persuasion...I got to see the original manuscript!! I also went to see the show Billy Elliott at Victoria Palace...my program provided all of us with free tickets! This kid couldn't have been more than 12 years old, but he was an absolutely amazing dancer. I LOVED it.
After orientation, I spent 3 days living with a family in Swansea, Wales. The couple I stayed with was so friendly and hospitable, and they have an 8-year old daughter who I got along with very well. I went to Gower and Mumbles, which are absolutely gorgeous. Most of my photos are from my stay in Wales.
The bus ride back from Wales was quite an experience. What was supposed to be a 4 hour trip turned into a 10 hour disaster--it turns out that our bus driver was not from London and didn't know where anything was. We ended up completely lost in the outskirts of London, and when we finally made it back to central London, our bus got stuck when we tried to turn on a narrow road. One of our group members got out and directed traffic, and we eventually backed out of the turn and continued to drive down the street in reverse until we found somewhere that the bus could fit. When I finally made it to my dorm at 7:00 pm, I realized that I had no bedding and that the stores closed at 5:00. So, I bundled up some sweaters for a pillow and slept under my winter coat on the bare mattress...until the fire alarm went off at 3 am and our entire dorm had to go stand outside in the London drizzle for a half hour. Haha, it was QUITE a day!
Also, something interesting: out of the 19 students from across the US who are in my program, 1 of them is a student at Illinois College! He says he took your class, Karen Dean, and you're the reason that he's interested in politics. His name is Andrew Tepavchevich. Small world!
If you would like to look at all of my photos, go to this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/WelcomeToGreatBritain# I'll add photos as I have more incredible experiences!
I love you all very, very much, and I hope that you have a beautiful October! I'll continue to update you on what's happening with me! God bless!
Love,
Maria
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