Lovely London Life

Wow, sorry I haven't written for a while...so much has been happening!

I've been to quite a few awesome places in the past few weeks. My friends Chelsie, Jill, Christine, and I went to Madame Tussauds wax museum, which was very entertaining and kind of creepy. Some of them were pretty fake-looking, but others could have passed for the real deal. And in some cases, the real deal could have passed for a statue...there's nothing like staring at a "wax figure" for a while and then having it glare at you and walk away...oops. Hey, what can I say-- London is filled with interesting-looking people!

I haven't been terribly homesick during this trip, but I've definitely had my moments. However, I've discovered the best cure: a picnic lunch with Big Ben. On a Tuesday morning before class, I packed a PBJ and headed to Westminster. I walked around Parliament and Westminster Abbey before choosing a bench by the river with a gorgeous view. I sat and ate while Big Ben struck 12. A perfect morning.

On November 1st, I went on a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was great...it's absolutely mind-boggling to look at it and know that so much of it's still standing after all this time. The weather was c-c-cold beyond belief, but it was still a great visit. Bath was fun, too, but I felt very rushed. By the time we had finished eating lunch, we only had 2 hours left. Lines were long, so we only had time to go to the Jane Austen Centre. I'm a huge fan of her work, so I had a wonderful time listening to the tour guide speak about her life and family. It was a good day.

The next day, I went to evensong at Westminster Abbey. Wow, wow, wow. It's so surreal to sit and participate in a service that has happened there for so many centuries. On my way out, I looked down and realized I was walking over Isaac Newton, and a few steps later, Charles Darwin. What?! Someone pinch me.

This trip has been amazing so far, except for this pesky obligation to get an education while I'm here. Haha, just kidding, my classes have actually been great. However, I did have to turn in my first two assignments last Thursday at 6 p.m., and it was pretty stressful. I have this chronic condition called procrastinationitis, so Thursday morning was filled with frantic typing and last minute editing with Dad over Skype. Then, after printing, accidently omitting the final sentence on the last page, losing my ID, finding my ID, and reprinting, I mangaged to turn everything in 10 minutes before the deadline. It involved a lot of running through the streets of London...one perk of procrastination: it's good exercise!

Theatre: Last week, I went to see Beauty and the Beast the ballet with 2 girls from my Bible study. It was beautiful (and nothing like the Disney version, haha). It was fun to read the dance language and figure out the storyline...man, I miss dancing. This morning, I woke up and thought "I think I want to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat today." So, I did. I went to the 3:00 matinee and relived the summer of '98...I still know every word. It was a great show; Lee Mead was an incredible Joseph, and the dancing/choreography was out of this world. It was very different from the way I remember it, and I think I prefer the way KB did it in J'ville...but I know I'm very, very biased haha.

I added more photos to this album: http://picasaweb.google.com/MariaKristineRoth/MindTheGap#

Love,
Maria

P.S. Scotland trip details and photos coming soon.