WHEW

I am finally home in the USA. I had an incredible rest of the week in London. We went to see Rafta Rafta on Tuesday at the National Theatre, A Midsummer Night's Dream in an open air theatre in Regent's Park, and Les Miserables at Queen's Theatre on Thursday. The plays were so amazing!!

We also had a few assigned places left to visit before we could declare the month officially complete. We ended the month by visiting Abbey Road and singing Beatles songs while walking around London. We had a Farewell Gathering the last night at our hotel where everyone could say goodbye before we all left for various places (most of us came home). It was a fun time full of dancing and eating.

I traveled alone the entire way home on Saturday. No one from the trip was on either of my flights (which I still find quite strange) and I ended up connecting through Chicago O'Hare. My flights were quite uneventful and I actually found a way to sleep a bit on the long intercontinental one. Going through Immigration and Customs wasn't too awful because everyone was so nice. My flight into RDU was delayed because we could not land during a lightning storm that swept through. We were rerouted to Charlotte but eventually found our way back to RDU 2 hours late. My mother, father, brother, and brother's girlfriend all met me at RDU around 11:45pm. My mom even screamed when I rounded the corner. It was SO nice to see my family and I felt so comfortable being back in the US.

I had an INCREDIBLE time the entire month. It is so hard to find my favorite things so I will not even try to narrow it all down. There has been a lot left out in this blog because of time limits, but please feel free to ask me questions the next time you see me! I will feel flattered that you are so interested in my trip. Thank you all so much for reading this silly blog! I feel very honored to have you interested in my trip.

I have posted up LOTS of photos that are linked on the right side of this blog. Just click on the photos link and check them all out. These are my photos (not including the photos that my friends took). If I find that my friends have a few photos that I have left out I may post a few of them as well. I hope you have enjoyed the blog and I hope to see you soon!!

il fait beau

I spent the weekend in Paris, France. SO BEAUTIFUL! The weather was so perfect the entire time. We hit all the hot spots; Eiffel Tower, Champs - Elysees, Arc de Triomph, Notre Dame, Louvre (although we did not have time to go inside), Musee d'Orsay, Seine River, etc. I'm not sure that it is possible to describe everything we squeezed into 3 days there. We also tried to relax there by sleeping in late. I had a great time and really love the city. We stayed in the worst part of town (being college students we can't afford much better) but were safe in our hotel. We saw the high points and low points of living in such a large city. We saw how dirty it can be and how sleazy the men on the streets can act toward 4 pretty American girls but we also basked in the beauty of the tourist attractions and small brasseries and bistros. Everyone was nice to us (minus the managers of our hotel), but I still do not think that the French like us much. The Metro was very easy to figure out since we have spent the last 3 weeks traveling on the Underground in London.

I do not have much time to describe each sight in detail or explain what I liked about each of them because I only have 8 minutes left on this computer.

I have two or three more plays to see this week. The two for certain are Rafta, Rafta and Les Miserables. The other optional play is A Midsummer Night's Dream (this one could possibly be rained out since it is outside.) I am excited to be ending the trip on a high note with Les Miserables on Thursday.

I will be heading home on Saturday but cannot promise that I will make it to church on Sunday morning (for all you church members!) Jet-lag may prevent that!!

I hope things are going well back in the US despite Paris Hilton finally being jailed (I get the most important US news over here, obviously!)



I will post up one photo this time because I do not have any time left. Again this is stolen from a friend!

Meghan, Me, and Rachel A. after just arriving in Dublin, Ireland and waiting at the ferryport for the bus to take us to our hotel!

So the Bank Holiday (this past Monday) was a bit...dreary and freezing. I met up with an old friend Liz Dellert and her boyfriend Aaron to just hang out and enjoy the company all day. Rachel A., Meghan, and I met Aaron at his work and had a personalized quick tour of London from his Mercedes convertible (top up because it was raining). It was so strange to crawl into the wrong side of the car to sit in the passenger's seat. I felt like I should have had a wheel too. We saw a few sights from the car such as Trafalgar Square and Harrods. We spent most of the day sitting in a few pubs around where they live and just catching up. It was a great relaxing day that lasted until midnight! Liz and Aaron are SO nice and incredibly gracious!!! CHEERS TO THEM!

Tuesday was a busy day full of Westminster Abbey, National Gallery, and Equus. This was one of the best days so far on the trip! Westminster Abbey was beautiful and has several graves of royalty and poets. Just walking through there and imagining the funerals of the Queen Mum and Princess Diana was incredible.

The National Gallery was pretty neat also! I really enjoy museums so it was cool to see paintings by Rembrant, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, and da Vinci. We were also supposed to see Monet and Van Gogh but those wings are closed right now! SO SAD!!

The night ended with the play Equus. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) was one of the two leading males and he was absolutely incredible. He has totally broken out of the Harry Potter mold and proven himself as a real actor. The play was absolutely fantastic. My eyes hurt by intermission because I realized that I had not blinked in a long time! The lighting and set design was fantastic and really captured the mood and setting of the play. If you do not know much about the play you should research into it and hope to catch it somewhere if you find any production near you. This is the website for the London production that I saw. I had goosebumps several times during the performance. (I'm not too sure that my parents would like it though. They'd definitely call it "weird" but I really loved it!)

Tuesday morning was not spent in class like most weekdays but was spent touring Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It is not the same one as during his day, but a very near replicate of it closer to the Thames River. We even got to see part of a rehearsal for The Merchant of Venice which was a unique experience. I could almost picture exactly what it would be like during that time to watch a play (slightly wet from the drizzle) and laughing at the action on stage.

Many of us spent the afternoon in Tate Modern. I officially think I could spend the rest of my life in there. I also think that if my life were a romantic comedy, I would meet my husband in a museum such as Tate because I love modern art so much. I saw some of my favorite painters such as Miro, Picasso, and Pollock. I wish I could visit there everyday and just sit in front of one abstract painting for an hour a day.

Last night we were scheduled, as a group, for a boat ride on the Thames River. It was a catered cruise with lovely food and great views of the city. We dressed up very nicely and enjoyed each other's company. I really like doing group activities because rarely do we all hang out together as a huge group. We caught some great photos of the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and London Bridge.
Today's class was spent learning about musical plays. Dr. Unks talked about the development of the musical from Opera to modern day. We watched MANY clips of the movie versions of various musicals. (Julie: I thought of you the entire morning and could sing most of the songs because of you! I miss you!)

A few of us spent the afternoon finishing up our assigned activities in the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery today. We are ready for another play tonight, The Reporter at the Cottesloe Theatre of the National Theatre. None of us really know what it is about but are excited at seeing a smaller play.

I leave for Paris, France tomorrow afternoon around 1:45pm GMT (around 8:45am EST). I will be traveling with Meghan, Rachel A., and Kelly. We are very excited and have a few things scheduled to see (thank you Vickie and Julie for providing me with information and guide books on Paris!)

I cannot believe that I will be home in less than a week and a half. I am having so much fun and I'm not sure I'm ready to leave this great place. We all just keep saying "we can do that next time we come!" I hope there will be a next time because London is fascinating!!

I will post A LOT of photos when I return stateside, I promise! I should have several hundred (thousands even) of photos to share, so be prepared! For now, I only have a few that my friends have posted. Here goes!

This is me sitting in a park in London making a face for an unknown reason.


Me, Kelly, and Meghan at Avenue Q. We had incredible £20 tickets on the 4th row!


This is Dr. Unks, Dr. King, Dr. King, and our captain of the boat cruise on the Thames River

I must go get dressed and ready for the play tonight. I need to eat my grocery store sandwich before I leave also. (They are the cheapest and fastest dinners here! I love Tesco!!!) I hope things are going well across the pond and I will be home in less than a week and a half.

No Irish Luck

So Meghan, Rachel A., and I traveled to Dublin, Ireland this weekend. We left early Friday morning and caught a train to Holyhead, Wales where we jumped onto a ferry and made our way to there. The train ride was quite nice seeing as how we got to watch the countryside of rolling hills with sheep and cows grazing. The ferry was also exciting because it was so fancy (everything but the food, that is). We even made it to the top deck to welcome Ireland with open arms. We arrived at the ferryport and spent the next two hours waiting on a bus to pick us up. Funny how all the bus drivers took breaks at the exact same time for such a lengthy period. We met some other Americans on the bus into Dublin (girls from University of Florida) that were spending the weekend in Dublin and actually studying in London for this summer. They even live in a dormitory very close to our hotel! We may try to meet up with them to see some sites while in London.

Once we arrived in Dublin we found the hostel that we booked online early last week. They lost our reservation. Their reply? "The system isn't perfect." Remember that this is Bank Holiday weekend so most places are fully booked for travelers!!!! They found us three beds and said we could have them for free tonight since they lost them (how generous!) We went back to the room and our jaws dropped. A mixed dormitory style room with 16 beds! Mixed = men & women!! OH NO! We practically RAN out of the hostel in search of a new place to stay! We found a hotel with one "very basic" room left and booked it immediately. We slept all together in one queen sized bed with no TV, no curtains on the window, and a dead spider on the ceiling. At least we were safer there than with 13 people we don't know!! We went to dinner with 4 other girls from the UNC program that were also spending time in Dublin at O'Sheas pub. The food was delicious and it was so nice to relax after a long day of travel and hotel searching.

Saturday was our one full day in Dublin to see the sites. We ventured off for the Guinness Storehouse first. It was our main goal of the day because it is one of the biggest attractions in Dublin. It is 7 floors tall full of information and shops about Guinness beer and the world records book. It was really cool. We even got to taste a bit of Guinness. The very top level was a Gravity Bar where we could get a free pint of beer and a great view of Dublin. We walked (in the rain) to the Dublin Castle which was really very interesting. We made it just in time to get into the second to last tour group. After that we walked to Trinity College but got there after all the tours had finished so we just took a few rainy photographs and went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We ate at O'Sheas again because it was so Irish and delicious. We listened to a live band play Irish music (and they also played Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd...interesting). The three of us enjoyed our dinner and took our time because we had finished everything we wanted to see in Dublin in less than one day. We did not want to spend time in our hotel so we went to see a movie at the cinema (Blades of Glory). We went back to the hotel and laughed about our time in Dublin until we fell asleep. Our ferry left at 8:05am so we called a cab to pick us up at 6am so we would get there on time. The ferry seemed a lot slower and we had to switch trains 3 times on the way back to get to London. We spent 14 hours on Sunday getting from Dublin to London. It was a very long day!

I am so excited to be back in London where I know the city and feel comfortable. Today is Bank Holiday so nothing is open but I am going to visit a friend (Elizabeth Dellert) who lives here for lunch. We are also going to visit one of Rachel's friends that lives here for dinner.

I cannot believe that this trip is halfway over and that I will be home in less than two weeks. Time seems to just fly by! I feel quite at home here in London and feel that I know the city very well. This week will be full of activities and plays but I hope to be able to write again soon. I love every post from ya'll and read every email sent to me. I hope things are going well for everyone in the US and I will be home soon!

Just a few stolen photos and some comments

Just a quick post to show some pictures (that I have stolen from my friends here). I still refuse to put any of my photos up on the internet (or even take them off my camera) until I get home because I like the anticipation of holding out an entire month to revisit all the sites through my photos.

This is Rachel A., Rachel P, Meghan, and I (in that order) climbing up the front gate to Buckingham Palace after just seeing the Queen!!


This is me, Meghan, Rachel A., Rachel P., Kelly, and Corey standing out behind St. Paul's Cathedral (not a very good shot of the cathedral but asking random people to take our picture tends to lead to this type of photo)

This is just a silly picture of me that Rachel A. took while I was figuring out how to get Big Ben in the background of a picture (Big Ben is out of the left side of the picture I promise)

Tomorrow morning Rachel A., Meghan, and I head to Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend. We will be there for Friday night and Saturday night (mainly only spending all day Saturday touring.) We are taking a train and ferry to get there so it will take most of the day Friday and ALL of the day on Sunday to travel between London and Dublin. Sunday's train trip is expected to be around 10 hours because they will be so crowded because it is a bank holiday on Monday. We have brought books, card games, ipods, and cameras to pass the time watching the land pass us by. We are all really excited!!! (Wondering why the 4th member of our group Rachel P. is absent from this trip? She left for Scotland by herself for a bus tour for the entire weekend! We begged her to take photos so we can see when we all return on Sunday/Monday.)


I have neglected to tell much about the classes that I am taking over here. One is an Education class taught by Dr. Unks (crazy, old man but super nice and helpful!) He talks about British things and how things differ. We learned about the differences in education between European schools and American schools the other day. We discussed the succession of the crown this morning. (I know my Aunt Kaki could go back much further than we went today though!) The other class is a drama class taught by Dr. King (super cute and sweet old man who travels around the city holding hands with his wife!) We discuss the plays that we see every other day. He gives us ideas to think about as we watch the plays so we all center around the same ideas in class discussion.

One of my friends (Jenny Tenney!) asked me on facebook the other day what my favorite thing I have done/seen so far in London would be. This is incredibly difficult to answer. We have done an extraordinary amount of things within the past week and a half. I really enjoy the differences between the UK/US cultures. Looking right instead of left when crossing the street, having coins for the smaller amounts of money (£1 and £2), the total lack of litter bins anywhere, and the accents (love them!). I guess what she probably means though is more along the lines of what has taken my breath away. Three things stand out here (all cathedrals/churches). The Coventry Cathedral ruins were absolutely spectacular. Knowing the history of it (it was bombed during WWII during the blitz) and just sitting there during the Sunday church service and being able to hear the congregation singing hymns as I watched the rays of sun through the empty windows shine on the broken floor. This is something that I will never be able to describe in full. The second would be Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon where William Shakespeare is buried. The thought of being so close to the remain of a literary genius was mind blowing. I was totally speechless the entire time walking around in there. The stained glass windows were also beautiful. I can't fully describe this either! The last one (so far on this trip at least) would be St. Paul's Cathedral in London. It is massive and gorgeous from the moment you entire the doors. The ornate gold work and paintings on the walls and ceilings is something to be marveled for hours. Not only could you walk around in there but you could also climb the 434 steps to the very very tip top of the cathedral and have the absolute BEST view of the city. I took tons of photos from up there. You could see EVERYTHING! London Bridge, Tate Modern, Big Ben, Thames River, National Theatre, everything!!

We saw Billy Elliot last night at the Victoria Palace Theatre and it was absolutely amazing!! The singing and dancing was unbelievable!! The lead was 13 years old! The plays here are so great! After the play, a few of us went to Kings Cross train station in search for Platform 9 3/4 (Yes, Harry Potter fans, it exists!) The picture below is us in front of it. We all got individual pictures pushing the trolley through it too! Everyone was so giddy. We are all dressed up because we went straight after the play.


I have 5 minutes left on here and must find some things for Ireland for this weekend. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss everyone (especially mommy and daddy!) but I will be home soon.

Mind the Gap & Billy Shakespeare

I have only 18 minutes left on this computer to type a blog. Please pardon the shorthand and lists but it is the best way to get the most amount of information out in the smallest amount of time.

I am having a fantastic time! I appreciate all of the comments that ya'll are sending me too! They brighten my email inbox when I get around to checking it!

I have seen so many places and so many plays so far!
Plays seen so far:
The Rose Tattoo in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre

My Child in the Writers Theatre at the Royal Court Theatre

Vernon God Little at the Young Vic Theatre

Avenue Q at the Noel Coward Theatre (seeing this tonight at 8pm with just a few people as a side play just for fun-not for class)

We have received the list of plays that we are seeing as a group but I will save that to keep you interested in the blog! Let's just say that I am most excited about seeing...Daniel Ratcliffe act on stage!!!!!!!

Places I have been so far:
Buckingham Palace - We saw the QUEEN OF ENGLAND HERE!! We saw a car being escorted by police outside of the palace and peopel screaming and waving so we ran after it (like crazy Americans) and saw the QUEEN looking right at us! We did not get pictures but we took some reenactment pics so we would remember forever.

Houses of Parliament - a bit dry but still cool to see that they still wear the silly white powder wigs!

Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum - absolutely fascinating!

Tower of London - the crown jewels are spectacular! I have officially seen the largest diamond in the world!

Imperial War Museum - we only saw the top two floors because they kicked us out at 6pm when they closed - still very interesting

British Museum - i saw the Rosetta Stone which is quite cool from a Linguistics perspective! I cant imagine stumbling upon such an incredible piece of history.

Piccadilly Circus - went to this last night just to see the lights and glory (and because the announcer on the tube sounds funny when she says it - crazy British accents!)

THE MIDLANDS

Oxford - interesting to see a different type of education system in a foreigh country that is so highly regarded (they also film a lot of the Harry Potter films there)

Blenheim Palace - beautiful gardens with cool paintings inside (very long winded tour guides though!)

Churchills grave - very neat since I had been to his museum the day before! What a great man.

Coventry - good hotel (Britannia Hotel) and very close to the cathedral that was bombed during World War 2. I loved sitting in the cathedral on Sunday morning during church time and hearing the hymns.

Warwick Castle - huge! Very neat to see a real castle though!!

Stratford-Upon-Avon - i love Shakespeare!!!! Basically speechless the rest of the day after seeing his house, his grave, and Anne Hathaway's house.

********3 minutes left on the internet!!

Drove through the Cotswolds - beautiful countryside!


We have officially booked our two weekends to Ireland (this weekend) and Paris (the following weekend).

The weather here was great this past weekend in the Midlands and has been beautiful today. A bit rainy yesterday, but eventually cleared up. Umbrellas and rainjackets are very important!!


I hope everyone is doing well. MIND THE GAP PLEASE

Hiya

London is great so far!! It may rain quite a bit but that does not detract from the beauty of the city. I have been shopping on Oxford Street and been to a play in the Olivier Theatre in the National Theatre. We saw The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams last night and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The play ran a bit long (everyone agreed) but it was well done. The southern New Orleans accents were not exact (some Brit English would slip out) but it was very good acting. The hotel we are staying in is nice and the beds are so comfortable. I literally fall into bed every night because I am so tired from running around all day!! I watch TV during the morning and a bit yesterday afternoon and it is quite entertaining. Everything seems silly in a British accent.

I'm still attempting to get used to the coinage here. I just stand at the counters sometimes and have to read what they all cost. On the money note, everything is so expensive. Not only is theUS dollar worth only half of the Great Britain pound, but things just cost more in general already! I just have to keep thinking, once in a lifetime experience. This will be worth it in the long run and I will be working all summer once I return to the US.

We have had class yesterday and today and it isn't so bad. It typically runs from about 9:30am to 12:30pm. We have a break in there too. The professors are both really nice and interesting. One is very laid back (Dr. Kimball King) and the other (Dr. Gerry Unks) is a bit..."anal, old, an odd mix of both cute and annoying" (quoted from my friend Rachel). They are both having a fantastic time here too. It is obviously one of their favorite (or favourite?) places in the world.

I booked my weekend trip to Paris today. We have switched the weekend that we planned on going because all the hostels/Eurostar are booked up. We are heading to mainland Europe on 1 June for 3 nights! We have yet to figure out where we are going for the longer weekend (24 May-28 May). We are thinking Ireland but still may change our minds depending on the prices! This weekend the entire group heads to the Midlands (Oxford, Coventry, Stratford-Upon-Avon, etc). Everyone on the trip is really nice so far (even the four billion Chi Psi fraternity brothers).

The weather has been a random mix of cloudy, rainy, and sunny. I dont mind the rain which is good. It has yet to really POUR down on me though, just sprinkling on my umbrella. I felt so London last night walking back from a play at the National Theatre carrying my umbrella and catching a red double decker bus back to my hotel. It was fun!!

My time is running out on this computer at an internet cafe so I must run. I love all your comments and emails! They make me feel so loved!! Hope everyone is doing well!!

CHEERS

I jumped the pond

just wanted to write a quick quip that I have arrived in London, England safe and sound. I have taken a few silly photos of street signs and coca cola light (diet coke) cans. It is cold and raining. I got asked for directions which means that I do not stick out as an ugly American! horray!

My parents were reluctant to let me go through security by myself (I think my mom wanted to just jump into my suitcase). Eventually she realized that I am 21 years old and can handle this by myself.

The flight from Washington Dulles to Heathrow was not as bas as I had expected. I read most of Bridget Jones' Diary but did not sleep a wink. I arrived in London around 6:00am GMT and have spent some time wandering the streets with a friend. I must use the rest of this internet hour to search for flights/trains/ferrys to Paris/Ireland/wherever.

Hope everyone is doing well

London Calling

My family and I watched The Queen on video last night. My mother, my brother's girlfriend Vickie, and I all enjoyed it quite a bit. My dad and brother...not so much. We all thought it was a great insight into her life and job though. Helen Mirren did an incredible job (She deserves that Oscar!)

I leave tomorrow (Monday 14 May) for London. I'm currently packing up everything that I will absolutely need. If there are things that I may not need, I've been told not to pack them. I can always buy things over there (I'm not heading to Somalia or anything!) Packing is such a chore.

The hardest thing so far this past week has been saying goodbye to a lot of my friends. Many of them graduated today from Carolina and so I may not see them for a long time. Other friends I will see in a month when I return, but that does not make it any easier. I promised "I WILL BE BACK" to a few friends to settle their nerves...and my own. As much as I am excited for this trip I am extremely nervous. I have never travelled alone, I have never been overseas, I have never been given so much freedom in my life! Compared to my best friends Julie and Maggie, I am a baby when it comes to travelling. Those girls have explored the world by the time I'm heading out for my first steps.

As of now, I have not purchased any train/plane tickets to Paris or Ireland but I plan to do so when I get settled across the pond. I really have no set plans other than what the program has laid out for us.

As I have already expressed, I may not be able to post on here very often because it will cost me several pounds an hour to write. I will attempt to write on here as much as I can though. Pictures on the other hand, will not be posted until after I return. There is no way to connect my cameras (yes, I am taking two digital cameras) to the computers for uploading. I promise to post them when I acclimate back to the US.

This is my last post before I skip over the pond. Thanks to everyone who has given me tips, gifts, and love the past few weeks. I know that I will need them all.

It's only a month.


"You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." - Samuel Johnson

FINAL MEETING: YOU MUST ATTEND

So we had our last meeting in the USA last Thursday (My mother's birthday). We filled out yet another form of our travel information (flights, ETAs, etc) and then went on to find out more information about the trip. Dr Kimball King told us about the 8 (possibly 9 or 10 if lucky) plays that we will be attending in London. Unfortunately, he only gave us the dates and times and withheld the play titles. We should be attending roughly TWO plays each week! The first one is the day after we arrive in London. Here are the dates we were given for the plays:

Wednesday May 16
Friday May 18
Monday May 21
Wednesday May 23
Tuesday May 29
Thursday May 31
Tuesday June 5
Wednesday June 6 (Shakespearian play outdoors, weather permitting)
Thursday June 7

I am so excited. We are even taking tours of many of the theatres before we see the plays! I am so excited!!!

Next, Dr. Kimball King's wife, Dr. Harriet King spoke about the trips that she will be guiding us through. She is the museum guru and so we will lead us through the British Museum and the British Library. These dates I do not know yet, but I anxiously await seeing the most popular and most exciting exhibits that these places have to offer!

The main task of this meeting was assigning roommates. There are five triple rooms (three people to one room), many "twins" (two people to one room), and a few singles (one person to a room). I am signed up for a "twin" room with my friend Meghan. They claim that these roommates do not matter because you only sleep, shower, and dress here but I figure that it will be a lot of fun and minimal stress to KNOW the person that I am rooming with beforehand.

Recently, I have bought a new raincoat and several pairs of shoes (must be comfy, supportive, able to withstand rain, but NOT SNEAKERS or "trainers" as the Brits call them). "Trainers" are the one item of clothing that make Americans stand out the most in Europe. Our advisors have told us again and again to resist the urge to take them because you will stick out and people can easily spot you. They have given many similar warnings throughout the semester.

They did provide us with our addresses though!

Melissa Perryman
Mentone Hotel
54-56 Cartwright Gardens
London WC1H 9EL
Great Britain

They still claim that the best way to communicate will be email. I hope to be able to check my email semi-regularly. Just know that I will be quite unreachable most of the month but email is by far the best way to communicate with me. Also, emailing provides a written record that we can save and print to remember this time. Please email me instead of writing or trying to call me. My email address is:
mkperry@email.unc.edu

I'm sure that everyone has heard by now that someone is trying to keep me from going to England. His name is Mr. Exchange Rate. The current exchange rate from US Dollar to GB Pound is ridiculous. It hit the highest that it has ever been in history! EVER! But not even this villain can keep me from jumping the pond! Check out the NASDAQ report on the exchange rate


My brother sent me an email a few weeks ago explaining to me the best way to travel from the US to London.

1. Go to www.google.com
2. Click on "Maps"
3. Click on "Get Directions"
4. Type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)
5. Type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)
6. Scroll down to step #23

Thanks to his wonderful knowledge I think I can strap my floaties on and make it there in about 80 years.

I leave in two weeks. I am so nervous but so excited!! I
must also inform you all that I will probably post photos of my
journeys when I return state side because it will be almost impossible
to put them on the site from Europe.  I promise to post some when I
return. I hope to make a website that will be linked from this site to
show much of my travels and adventures! I will try my BEST to keep
everyone informed of what I'm doing even if it is a short and to the
point post. Thank you all for reading my blog! I enjoy typing about my
emotions and meetings so far!

Prince William & Princess Melissa

So the big news over in the UK is that Prince William and Kate Middleton have broken up. They have been dating for several years and there was even talk of engagement earlier this year. I think that he heard that I was coming to London in May. That must have been the reason for the spilt, dont you think? :) (You can find more information on the royal split on BBC News .)

I received an email tonight about very important information for our final meeting. We have this meeting on Thursday, April 26 (My mother's birthday!!) at 7pm. We will cover flight information, insurance, emergency contact information, and roommate preference. Our group will make up most of the residents staying in the Mentone Hotel (see link on the right side for more information) during our month of residence. There are mostly 2-bedded rooms but there are five 3-bedded rooms. I know one girl on the trip and have come to know another nice girl, but have yet to discuss rooming. I guess we can figure that out within the next week.

Today marks the 4-weeks-until-departure date. I officially leave the United States in 29 days!! I cannot believe it is so soon! I feel as if I have miles to go before I can even think of London. I have been incredibly busy with research papers, exams, and presentations lately and the final exams are looming on the horizon. The last day of classes for UNC is Friday April 27. Final exams begin the following Monday. The last day of finals (and I of course have a final exam on this date) is Tuesday May 8th. I am also inclined to continue working at my old dormitory (Carmichael Residence Hall) for many days before I leave for London. Graduation for seniors is May 13 (Mother's Day!!) but I hope to not be around for that madness!

Oh and during our trip we have two long weekends where we are permitted to travel wherever we choose! I really want to go to Paris, France and maybe Ireland or Scotland. I hope to grab a few people and hit the trains to take some exciting weekend adventures. Any suggestions of places to go are welcome!!

Videos & Exams

I went to the Undergradute Library on Monday and spent most of the evening watching the two videos and their study guides which must be completed within the next few weeks. I watched one video on Orientation and Packing for London and another video titled From Blitzkrieg to the Bomb which showed footage and discussed World War II. There is SO MUCH to learn!! The first video was created by the professors that are going on the trip with us. Because they have been so many times they know the easiest and best way to travel. They informed us not to bring too much luggage and to minimize the amount of electronics we take because of the difference in voltage and amperage in London. They also hit me with a shocker: DO NOT TAKE YOUR LAPTOP COMPUTER! ohhhh noooo!! What will I do without my IBM for a full month? This may limit the amount of posts from London on this site but they claim there are two computer shops very close to the Mentone Hotel where we are staying. They say that laptops are too heavy, easily stolen, and the electrical outlets do not work well with them. The computer shops will cost me a few pounds an hour so I hope to make it there as much as possible without spending all my money!

Tonight we took the exam on the Time Out: London Travel Guide. I did not think it was possible to test someone on their knowledge of a travel guide. I also found the exam to be extremely difficult. How does one focus their attention on every detail of every bit of history and all the sightseeing destinations for a 25 minute exam? I'm still flabbergasted by the test questions. Assuming I will still be allowed to go on this trip (hopefully that exam grade does not mean much) I am very excited still. Reading the travel guide just put me in the mindset to hop on the plane and head there right now!

I leave the US in less than 5 weeks!! Let's just pray that I can get through these research papers, lab reports, final performances, and final exams!

Textbook Exam

We had our second UNC London meeting last night where we took an exam on the "textbook" that we read. The book is Brit-Think Ameri-Think by Jane Walmsley. It is a clever book comparing Britain to America in very exaggerated terms. The exam took about 30 minutes and we also filled out a form inquiring about our flight times and dates so that the professors could pick us all up at the various airports in London at the correct times.

I currently know only one other person on the trip, Meghan, but have begun to meet other people throughout the meetings. I am very excited about the trip!!! I wish I could leave right now!

We must read one other book and watch two videos that are available in the R. B. House Undergraduate Library on campus. Not much else to report except that my parents are also getting passports in case of emergency (but I bet they will want to come visit in London!!)

Introduction & Beginning

I have created this blog (short for "web log") for my journeys in London and Europe. Check back here for more posts as often as you like. I cannot guarantee a post everyday as life will be hectic in a foreign land!!

I have added news feeds from BBC UK on the right side of this site so that you can see the major headlines of the day in England. I do not monitor these news stories so do not credit me if they seem inappropriate.

You can leave comments by clicking on the link just beneath each post titled "COMMENTS" with a number in front of it and do not need to sign up on this website in order to do so. You should leave your name though so that I know who is writing me! Once you click the COMMENT button then click OTHER and fill in your name!

You can click on anything that is colored yellow or orange on this page (including some people's names as I will try to introduce you to important people with words as well as pictures!)



Now that the introduction is complete I can expand upon what I have done so far for this London excursion. I applied to the UNC LONDON PROGRAM during Fall Semester 2006 and was accepted via letter! This is a summer school abroad program so I will be taking classes; a Drama course and an Education course both taught by UNC-Chapel Hill professors (Professors Kimball King & Gerald Unks) that have been doing this program for over 30 years. We will be attending plays, visiting galleries and museums, site-seeing, and possible travelling to other places in Europe. There are about 65 students in the program this year; by far the largest study abroad program at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

I have only been out of the country once before and that was to Ontario, Canada with my best friend from high school, Julie, and her family. It was a fantastic trip but I expect Europe to be a bit more of a culture shock for me. My cousin Jennifer studied abroad in London during college and her mother Kaki is passionate about the Royal Family and therefore is very excited for me to visit one of her favorite places on Earth!

We have several meetings before we depart in May to get us acclimated and teach us more about the culture. The first meeting was on February 8 2007 and we received packets full of information and assignments. We also watched a BBC documentary on the Queen to get a glimpse into what daily life is for her. Before the next meeting on March 21, we are required to read the text Brit-Think Ameri-Think by Jane Walmsley and take an exam. Before we depart we must also read the travel guide Time Out Guide:LONDON and take that exam and view two films laid out by the professors. My favorite assignment that must be completed by August is a scrapbook to be turned in for credit. This requires me to do something I already planned on doing: taking pictures of everything that I do (a trait that must have been passed down to me from my mother)!

I cannot wait for such an experience and I am so appreciative of my parents for allowing me this opportunity to venture to a place that neither of them have ever explored.