Kind of a Big Deal (or two)

So last week I was at the mall and was astounded at just how massive this building was! It not only had approximately every single store an American mall would have but it also had hundreds of food and clothing and shoe and any other type of store you can think of that I had never even heard of before. It was overwhelming and I probably only saw about 1/3 of it in my brief walk around after paper writing some more. The most exciting discovery was of course the fact that there is a PINKBERRY in the mall!!! It was exactly the same except they don't charge per topping and you can add as much as you want to your cup like at Yogurtland or Menchies. It made me so happy because I haven't had froyo in months and months! Poor Chris probably thought I had lost my marbles when I squealed as we turned a corner and BAM it was directly in front of us. hahaha but he kindly took a picture of me anyways which I of course have to share with you all here. Once I had some Pinkberry in my belly I managed to avoid stressing about my paper for a brief period of time which was quite a relief. 

Now on another school related note...I am not famous on the King's Website! About 2 months ago now the director of our program asked if a few of us would be interviewed just answering the same 3 or 4 questions; why we picked King's, whether we liked the program, if it helped with career plans etc... I had actually completely forgotten about it until my friend, Bryan, told me to go look at the Program website and WHOA! There was part of my interview at the beginning of the video clip! I'm slightly embarrassed because I feel so young compared to everyone else and like my answer seemed silly but eh, I'll let you all decide what to think of it. It's kind of exciting either way! Now, I wonder how long that video will be up there....! WOW I'M FAMOUS.....kinda.

Love from London,

Kristin

Who Does She Think She Is?!

As I've mentioned in previous posts I have a lot of respect for the Queen of England and really enjoy the fact that I get to enjoy all the jubilee events happening around London this year. It's an exciting time to be in London but busier than ever and I'm struggling to accept the huge influx of tourists and craziness. Today, however, was especially disappointing. Lisa and I signed up for a tour to take us around Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle! We specifically chose this tour because we were so excited to go to the castle! We arrive at our tour this morning and they tell us that we can no longer go to the castle because although it just re-opened less than a month ago the Queen has decided that she needs to use it last minute today and we can therefore not be walking around the same place the queen is walking around! *GASP* how scandalous would that be?! In my opinion she should have just requested a wing of the castle and left the rest for us to tour but oh well...we instead went to Hampton Court Palace which was beautiful as well but not what we had planned. 

The palace did have some beautiful gardens that we really enjoyed walking around. The oldest vine in the world is housed here and is literally thousands of years old. The roots spread out massively over the grounds and the parts we could see were thick and gnarly and in their own ugly way, stunning. We were able to walk around some of the state rooms but of course with our luck the Queens private rooms were closed off while an exhibit is being set up. Good thing I much preferred being outdoors today anyways as we were blessed with yet another gorgeous sunny day! 

After the palace we headed to Stonehenge which I was delighted to see again! I still find it fascinating and it was also at this point where we began talking to some other people on the tour who were about our age and we bonded over the crazy lady who was annoying the entire tour bus. I kid you not, not a single person wanted to sit next to her and she was yelling at people (us) for getting too close to her picture in front of Stonehenge (Ummmm HI, do you see all the people here?!) and she threw a fit because we weren't going to Windsor. I mean...who does the Queen think she is that she can use her own home when she feels like it?! Anyways...we really enjoyed seeing this and wish we could have stayed longer. Unfortunately we were only given 45 minutes but it was enough to learn about what history is assumed about the stones as well as some of the conspiracy theories that people have. Our guide was quite knowledgeable on every place we visited as well as what was going on outside our bus windows as we drove past so we learned a lot on the way to and from each location. 

The last stop on our tour was the city of Bath which again we had very little time to explore but we did get to go in and tour the old Roman Baths which was just incredible to me! Why do I love old things so much?! Probably because I like to imagine myself in that time and dream of what it must have been like in those times. But honestly it was stunning to see how much of the baths are still preserved and how technologically advanced it seems they would have had to have been in order to keep up such a building containing numerous rooms and both hot and cold baths along with rooms for exercise, massage, worship and more. The fact that the original ducts still have water flowing through them and you can still see the steam rising from the pools is pretty awesome. 

It was approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive back in to London after our tour of Bath so we napped a little and enjoyed some of the pretty scenery and sunset. We all know how much I love sunsets and tonight the sun was a strange but bright orange color that I found beautiful. 

Like I said earlier we made a couple friends on the tour and after our bus dropped us off we went and got hot chocolate! They are both from Australia and Lisa and I really enjoyed talking to them for a couple hours about traveling mostly but also about work and school and general get to know you things. I spoke with Mel a lot about what it's like living in London and she and I both agree that although we love London we can't wait to get home haha. It's funny because talking to her we decided we have a lot in common in terms of both of us wanting to be adventurous and explore new places and have new experiences and that we are both afraid of regret. I would rather come to London, struggle a bit and know what it's like to live virtually alone in another country for a year and then get the excitement of going back home than spend years wondering what it could have been like if I had just gotten the courage to do it! Long story short, we decided that we would both be very happy to say "We did it!" if nothing else comes of this year. 

Love from London,

Kristin 

Still Being a Tourist and Loving It!

 Theme Song of our Travels

Every time I get to visit a new place whether in the UK or outside the UK I remember why I am so happy to be studying in London! Europe is so accessible and I am so lucky to be able to hop from place to place with so many people that I love. Currently my best friend from Los Angeles is visiting me and it has been the funniest/silliest/craziest/most enjoyable week and a half and I'm already dreading our travels together coming to an end. For now though, let me update you on everything we have been doing because it has been non-stop since the minute her plane landed at Heathrow.

The first afternoon was a little difficult for Lisa because she was very jet lagged and I wouldn't let her go to sleep until at least 10pm. It was for her own good! No better way to beat jet lag than get right on track with a sleep schedule. So we wandered Greenwich Park exploring areas I had never seen before on my runs and enjoying the beautiful flowers that seem to be growing somewhat wildly throughout the area. The next day we did a lot of walking starting at St. Paul's Cathedral and then walking to the Tate Modern to look at some pretty art things and then continuing on through Waterloo (past my school), Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus where we stopped for some drinks and then finally right back on home! It was a very long, exhausting and productive day. 

Saturday, the highlight of our time together began! We headed off to Madrid, Spain for one of the best few days I ever could have asked for. The weather was so beautiful I wore shorts and dresses the entire time and it was so nice to not need a jacket for an entire FOUR days. We went to several major museums, rowed boats on Retiro Lake, toured the palace, ate lots of tapas and wonderful market food at San Miguel and were taken out by very friendly spanish girls who we met through my friend, Ruth, who I went to high school with and is now studying in Madrid! We had a wonderful time dancing the night away. Literally! The clubs do not open until after 1am so nobody shows up until at least 2am and since the metro doesn't open until 6am there's no point in leaving before that. It is customary to get breakfast on your way home from a night out and as much as Lisa and I wanted to partake in that we were beyond exhausted from our 4ish hours of sleep the night before. Yah, 4 hours because did I mention our flight Saturday morning was at 8am? Meaning we had to leave my place before 6. It was crazy and hectic and totally worth it. Spain is also another metro system that I am now comfortable with though I let Lisa do most of the navigating. My mind has been a jungle of so many cities and I kept getting mixed up as to which direction we were headed (typical Kristin) and so I gave up and left all that business to Lisa and she did a fantastical job of keeping us on track! The warm sunshine was honestly much needed for my sanity. Although London has plenty of sunshine it isn't warm like I am used to! Lisa and I both got some color and I feel so refreshed. 

Being back in London has also been fun and we of course have kept plenty busy. The weather has been surprisingly warm and we are taking advantage of that. I wore flip flops for the first time in MONTHS (literally) and it was the best feeling in the world! Perhaps not practical for all the walking we have been doing but it was nice to enjoy for a day. 

Only building in the world (supposedly?) that has been a Catholic
church, a Jewish Synagogue, and an Islamic Mosque. Amazing.
(It was also a Protestant Chapel and a Methodist Church though
not for as long as it was the others. Currently it remains a Mosque
where over 3000 people attend on Friday's!)  

Tonight we went on a really awesome tour that involved seeing "behind the scenes" London which most people wouldn't think of exploring. It was a tour that involved experiencing street art in the East end and it's fascinating how much of a separate culture it is. It's not just tagging walls with spray cans or putting ugly graffitti all over the city but it truly is art and I am no fascinated. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and part of the art scene which made the tour feel authentic as well. The artists have created beauty in a part of London which is otherwise worn down, gray, dirty and mostly forgotten about until the Olympics committee decided they needed to clean up the city and in turn told many of the artists they had to stop painting/drawing on/and changing the building. Funny because until recently no one could really be bothered to even help clean the city streets but now that big businesses want to move in and expand and the city wants to show off all of London a culture has to change how it looks to the world. 

Anyways, we passed several of the artists while we were on our tour and everyone was friendly, probably because our tour guide seemed to know absolutely everyone we passed and talked to! It was funny and again, felt authentic. 

This is all plaster chiseled out by hammer and nails

One cool fact: one of the artists who paints around the East End actually has one of his paintings hanging in the white house! David Cameron and Obama always exchange gifts when they see each other and Samantha Cameron (David Cameron's wife) somehow knew of this man and his artwork and wanting to make her husband seem cool to the president of the United States she told him to give Obama a piece of his artwork and BAM! Now this artist is commissioned by people all over the country to do work on their buildings, bill boards, etc... 

Another one of the artists, Connor Something-rather, draws soldiers so I of course liked him the most. Another artist draws large animals in cities all around the world and makes hundreds of thousands when his art goes in to galleries. I find it beautiful that even though some can make thousands and thousands by selling in galleries they still want to spend their free time making an old run down city more beautiful with all of the colors and art they bring to the walls of the city. 

Our tour guide also filled us in on a lot of fun, historical and sometimes quirky facts about the city which I will relay to anyone who asks. At least to the best that I can remember! There is so much that I want to share with you all and write down for future memories but I am so tired and it all just isn't coming to me right now. Pictures will be up on facebook in the next week or so as soon as I have some more free time. As for now, it is bedtime.

OH! For anyone who is wondering about the theme song I posted at the top of this post it is our theme song because 1. it is catchy and fun and 2. it was played over and over again and in every place we went to in Spain! It's a portuguese song but apparently this summer it became very popular in Spain and it's just one of those songs that when it's played everyone, no matter what the environment you're in, gets excited and sings along. We've had a lot of fun attempting to learn the words and then again trying to translate because there is no direct translation no matter how many different translators we have used. But it's fun! So, enjoy!

Love from London (and Spain!)

Kristin 

Differences

Ever since my dad left I have been doing school related things non-stop. The term has officially ended for me meaning classes are over but paper writing must still be accomplished. Although my papers aren't due until the end of April I have lots of visitors coming and I just won't have time in April to work on them so my usual over-achieving self has managed to create a schedule for completing both my papers, including editing, before Lisa arrives on Thursday!  After days of sitting inside Starbucks looking like this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^    I officially have rough drafts done of both essays, which is quite an accomplishment I think. Now I may have always been an overachiever with a game plan weeks ahead of schedule (to the annoyance of my college roommates ;) ) but that doesn't mean I didn't have plenty of finals week meltdowns, including one near heart attack scare after too many extra large redbulls (seriously). However, it is the bonding moments which happen during the stress of finals week which I truly do miss. Staying up until all hours of the morning, laughing, crying, and the general hysteria of the campus as the countdown to summer began. It's different this time around because I have no countdown to summer as unfortunately even after these two essays are turned in I have to then write the biggest paper I have ever written in my life. Bigger than any paper I will probably ever write again. 15,000 words on a topic of my choice which is exciting and terrifying all at once. I still need to pick a topic but for now I'm going to play the game of denial because I just don't feel like thinking about it right now! My dissertation tutor tried to talk to me about PhD's and I nearly burst out laughing in his office. I was pleased he considered my first 2 essays to be so well written that he felt he wanted to encourage me to pursue school even further buuuuut I just don't see that happening. My brain is fried. Moving on to more differences...

St. Patrick's Day in London.

Caitlin and I met up on Saturday to have a pint and a pie and it was lovely! Somehow I had still never had an English pie so I went with the "traditional" steak and ale with chips and veggies and it was DELICIOUS! I can't wait to have it again.

 Today, however, was the big parade and festival in
 Trafalgar Square and for weeks, since I first saw a
 poster for it at the bus stop, I have been excited for
 this parade. I love parades! Well let me tell you....this
 was the farthest thing from a parade. It was a joke
 and I don't know what everyone was so excited
 about. The festival itself was neat and the Irish
 Olympic Team was there speaking but the
 parade...pathetic is the nicest word I have for it.
 Imagine an hour of watching unorganized groups
 walk with banners.
 That was pretty much it. The most entertaining part
 of  the afternoon was this man who was quite
 inebriated and pretending to Irish Dance in a non-
 approved break of the parade. Security came up and forced his group to continue moving after just a few seconds. I'm not sure why as there was nothing else to watch but hey! it was good fun while it lasted hahaha oh and the best part? He was playing his music from an old walkman connected to a speaker. I'm telling you, this guy was great. On top of all that (or lack of all that) there was also no confetti and not even one piece of candy thrown into the crowds. I mean....WHAT?!?!?
Needless to say, I'll be happier next year back at Brennan's watching people get fined for pointing at turtle racing and drinking my green beer.

One awesome part of my week was the field trip my Youth Ministry class went on to a church in Reading that is dedicated specifically to working with young adults in the city. We got to sit down and talk with the pastor who started the church and hear about what motivated him to take on such a task and what keeps him going. He told us stories about a few of the young people he is currently working with and the ways he sees their lives changed and it was really motivational. I know now that I really do want to work with high school students. I'm not sure yet what I want to do, maybe teaching, maybe some type of religious education or campus ministry but I know that I want to work with teenagers. I'll have to think a bit more about it when things calm down but hey! it's a start. Anyways, the church itself was also very beautiful and if I was still a teenager I would definitely want to hang out here! Pool tables, fooseball tables, video games, exercise classes, and of course Bible Studies and personal one on one time with adults in the congregation who are all required to devote a certain amount of time to working with the young adults if they want to be a part of this church. It sounds harsh writing it like that I suppose but it's something that SO many people in Reading are excited to dedicate their life to and that was really cool to see!

Well, time to get a move on making some type of itinerary for Lisa's visit!!!


Love From London,
Kristin

Czech Us Out!

Hey, I never claimed to be funny. Or puny for that matter. 

But YES! Daddy and I traveled to the Czech Republic for the last 3 days and it was so beautiful! We arrived Saturday evening and were first and foremost pleasantly surprised to find out our "hotel" was actually apartments and fairly large ones at that! One big bedroom, two bathrooms, and a living room. They had an AMAZING Italian restaurant connected to the reception area where I continued to eat far too much ever day but that's okay because I realized it had been quite a long time since I had had Italian food and I missed it. 

Wenceslas Square

Anyways, the next two days involved wandering the city trying to locate ourselves on the map and figure out which towns and squares we were in. We saw the castle (DUH!), the Jewish Quarter, The Old Town Square and New Town. I tried to go on a tour at one point but being that it is still winter here and it was very cold and borderline rainy the whole weekend, it got canceled. But that's okay because I like exploring on my own, you almost feel like you figure out your way around a little better when you have to know how to get back and forth between places. 

Old Jewish Cemetery

Another accomplishment was using the metro here! Okay it's not a huge accomplishment seeing as it only has 3 lines and they're color coded hahaha but hey, if I can continue to move around cities and be comfortable on public transportation then I am excited. 

I think one of my favorite parts of the city was touring the Synagogues. My dad bought me a ticket so that I could tour all 6 of them and even go into the Old Cemetery and take pictures (which I find a little strange you have to pay extra for?)! Since Jewish people were exiled to only a small portion of the city and only allowed one piece of burial land they were forced to bury their dead one on top of each other sometimes as much as 10 people deep! I was walking behind a tour group as I was going through the cemetery and I heard the tour lady tell them that Although there are only (seriously, ONLY?!) 12,000 head stones in the cemetery, there are actually over 100,000 people buried there. I included a picture here so you could understand just how crowded this place really was. It was so sad to see especially when you compare it to the respect and dignity we are all allowed when burying our loved ones....at least a foot away from the person next to us and no one below or above us unless by choice. I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the Synagogues and being that I try to follow rules I listened to them and kept my camera tucked inside my jacket pocket. 

The Catholic Church

The Castle

One of the other really cool things we saw was the clock in Old Town Square changing on the hour. It's (one of?) the oldest Astronomical clocks in the world and not only does it play music, have figures moving on the side AND inside of the clock but after the hour strikes  there is a trumpet player involved. I think it's an experience you'll have to see for yourself. 

I'd love to upload more pictures and videos however I am currently experiencing computer problems and apparently my hard drive is now full. How did this happen again?! Alright, not the point of this post, I'll see what the "genius bar" tells me to do this afternoon. 

On a kind of side not but not really side not since I put a picture of it up....Castle's are SO COOL! This castle has been used and continues to be used for over 1000 years! That's so crazy but so awesome. We never did find out if they have a royal family or not though...I suppose I should have just googled it but perhaps one of you has the answer to that?!

Overall, Prague was a beautiful city and I will most DEFINITELY be making a return some day. 

Love From London,

Kristin

Travels with Daddy

The past week has been a blur of traveling and enjoying time with my dad who has been here in London with me! We have been having a wonderful time in Manchester, Chester, London and today we head off to Prague for a few days!

Okay, back up, back up....

March 2nd I went to pick up my dad from the airport. After waiting over 2 hours to go through Customs and baggage I finally saw him come through the secret double doors that hide the long hallway from those patiently (or not so patiently) waiting to see loved ones they haven't seen in what feels like ages. It was a very happy reunion and we caught up the whole train ride home. The next day we wandered around Greenwich, pausing to take pictures in the park, walk through the National Maritime Museum and stroll through the market eating spicy chorizo and chips! It was a good day out and about in the beautiful Greenwich area and I realize more so than ever how much I love it over here! As busy and hectic as Greenwich Town Center can get, it's much slower than central London and not quite as many tourists which is always a plus in my eyes. 

Piece of the Bible

Very early the next morning we headed off to Manchester! Before you say anything, no we did not get to see a "football" game and yes, we actually did find plenty to do in this very industrial city. It was fun because I honestly enjoy traveling to places most people wouldn't bother checking out. We found the John Ryland's Library which is GORGEOUS and filled with SUPER old books including Shakespeare plays and some of the first science books. Some of the rooms reminded me of the shop from Beauty and the Beast that Belle visits at the beginning of the movie! Heaven. There was also a small piece of what has been dated to be one of the first Bible's in the WORLD. That blows my mind. So anyways we spent an hours-ish in there and then headed over to the Museum of Science and Industry, or MOSI, and we spent hours in there! 

Imperial War Museum
(during the fire alarm!)

See Manchester is one of the first industrial cities in the world and practically started the industrial revolution. They were at the forefront of textiles and machinery and we got to see a demonstration of how cotton is made- from picked off the plant to a piece of cloth- and it was so cool! These machines are monstrous and I can't remember the statistic but lots of people (often children) died handling these machines that moved quickly and relentlessly and didn't notice if it took a finger, arm (yes, one machine was known to rip off whole body parts if even a tiny piece of your clothing got stuck to it), or even a life.  The museum also had a whole building for trains! This was so, SO cool because you could see into them and they had one that was cut down the center so you could see how it was made etc... The next day we ended up spending 6 hours in the Imperial War Museum which I am very grateful my dad was just as excited to do as I was! I think we made it through just about every exhibit and more than ever I love these museums! 

While in Manchester we also wanted to go see the historic town of Chester and though we planned on spending one full day there we ended up only getting to spend a few hours. I came down with a nasty flu of some kind and not being able to guarantee I'd have a bathroom, trash can, or other receptacle of some kind next to me every moment of the day we decided it best for me to just stay in bed. Chester is sooo pretty though and I'm hoping to make time to go back before I leave here. 

The last two days have been spent in London doing some more touring of the city and enjoying just being here. We listened to the Evensong at Westminster Abbey which seems more and more beautiful every time I listen to it and we also listened to the end of a debate in the House of Commons in the Houses of Parliament which I found pretty neat even though it was about fish or something...hahah anyways. 

So in a few hours here we are heading off to Prague and although it is supposed to be freezing cold I am very excited to explore its rich history! Bundled up in my ski jacket and not forgetting my scarf and gloves I think it will be an excellent trip! 

Love from London,

Kristin