"All the world's a stage"

Yesterday, my friend and I went into London to check out the British Library, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, and the Globe Theatre.

In the British Library, I got to see famous pieces of music such as a draft of Handel's Messiah from 1741 and other composers' works from Bach, Mozart, and Handel. There were musical works, literary works, historical works and much much more! My mom would be happy to know that there was print of Jane Austen's Persuasion from 1816 because Jane Austen is one of her favorite authors. There was also one of four copies of the Magna Carta from 1215 in this exhibit. It was written on one piece of sheepskin and contained over 3500 words! All of these amazing pieces were in one exhibit.

After visiting the British Library, we went to Borough Market, which was full of great smelling food vendors. We stopped there for lunch and had delicious burgers while listening to a street performer play guitar.

Borough Market Vendor

Southwark Cathedral is located near Borough Market and we headed there after lunch. Southwark Cathedral is the church that Shakespeare attended and there is currently a memorial inside in honor of
him. It is a beautiful Cathedral.

Our last stop of the day was the Globe Theatre. There was a self guided audio tour where we learned more about Shakespeare's plays, the history of the theatre, and other neat things. We walked around the exhibit and listened to our self guided tour until our group tour of the theatre began. During our group tour, there was a dress rehearsal taking place of The Taming of the Shrew and we were not allowed to take pictures inside of the theatre. However, it was a fantastic experience to see the history of the theatre and how it was rebuilt to keep the historical accuracy. We got to sit inside the theatre and take in all of its' greatness!

Shakespeare by James Cochran (Jimmy C)

My friend and I stumbled upon the mural above on our way to see the Globe Theatre. It was such a fun mural to see and it was created by a graffiti artist known as Jimmy C.

It was an excellent day and I learned a lot too! I am continuously amazed that I am able to be here studying, learning, and exploring new places.

Afternoon Trip

Yesterday, I went back to St Albans with one of my good friends. We explored the market, got to tour the inside of St Albans Cathedral, and later in the afternoon we got to eat lunch at the oldest pub in England. It was a wonderful day trip and the food was great!

First Established in 793AD 

Winter Snowbells

St Albans Cathedral

The Font

Above the Font

Stained Glass Window

Choir

Prayer Room

Prayer Room

Altar Area

Altar Area

Altar Area

11 February 2017

 Last Saturday, I took a tour of Windsor Castle and it was beautiful!

(See pictures in previous post; pictures were not permitted inside of the castle)

My friend and I spent the first part of the day touring the castle and then we found a small bakery for something warm. After the bakery, my friend and I went back to tour St George's Chapel which is located on the castle grounds, and spent the second part of our day looking around the shops in the town of Windsor.

It was a great day. The Castle was full of gorgeous architecture, decor, paintings, and historical
artifacts!

View from Bakery, Castle Grounds to the right.

Hot Chocolate!

Windsor Castle

Castle Exterior

The Round Tower

 The Quadrangle

St George's Chapel

St George's Chapel

The flag means the Queen was there!

The Quadrangle

Many Thanks

It doesn't matter where you are, being sick is no fun.

For the past week I have been unwell, but I am on the upswing of things now! :) I am very grateful for FaceTime, family, and friends. I was able to contact my family in my time of crisis and they were able to give me medical advice.

Friday morning, I woke up with a horrible cough and a low temperature that rose throughout the day, and was high by the following morning. I was able to see a doctor Saturday, but of course by the time I arrived at the doctor's office, there was nothing wrong with me. Everything was fine, no coughing and no fever. However, that evening is when things worsened. I do not remember the last time I was that ill because I have never been without my usual resources. Such as my parents, my doctor at home, and reliable transportation, etc. I had to figure out how to schedule an appointment during the weekend and how I was going to get there. Figuring out how to do normal activities in a foreign country is challenging enough without being sick but I was also given help along the way.

I am grateful for the person who was able to take time out of their day to drive me to the Urgent Care and wait for me until I was finished.

I am also very thankful for the friends I have made here. Being unwell and physically unable to go anywhere, they went to the grocery store to get medicine and crackers and sick people things for me.

The people I have met here are truly amazing and kind,

Thank you

Settled In

During the past two weeks much has occurred. My classes are in full swing and I am excited about the courses I am taking. I am continuing to learn about the way classes and study works here and each week I am meeting somebody new! In addition to classes, I also decided to switch flats. It was a very good move for me and I feel settled in.