Home Sweet Home

It's all done and I finally am back in STL. I am so grateful that I did get to take such an awesome journey like this.

One thing is that I didn't expect to feel so loved and missed while I was gone. I mean, I know I have wonderful friends and I know they all love me, but I really took everyone for granted. Not just my friends, but my family. I want to thank everyone for keeping me in their thoughts, taking the time to email and/or Facebook me, and instant message me. It meant so much! Thank you!

PS....just in case you were wondering...after being away from home for so long.... my cats DID remember me! Yay!

The final countdown

DOOOROOTHYYYY!!!!

Okay, so today, a little after 11 am UK time, the skies became REALLY dark. I just thought it was going to rain like a mother. Well, the Almighty had other plans. Out of nowhere thunder crashed and the skies opened up and it began to hail! We were all shocked that this happened but we just ignored it.

Later while I was hanging out with Patrick and William at the front desk, Patrick comes up and says his aunt, who lives a little ways from London, called and asked him 'Did the tornado have any affect on you?' There was a flippin' tornado a few miles away from Regents and no one knew it (or at least the majority because no on seemed to be freaking out or anything). Then later while I was running an errand I overheard a later saying how lucky she was because a couple streets away from her the roofs were being torn off of people's homes! It must have been really bad. It has been really REALLY bizarre weather here and supposedly it's been the weirdest that London has ever experienced. Chew on that.

Things I've learned about London

1--the exchange rate never affected me before, but now I HATE IT!!!!!

2--the movie theaters in London show the previews then stop for about 3-4 minutes and then they start the movie

3--movie-goers in UK actually sit through the credits and then get up to leave

4--the streets here are %"!*& up! The bus system is so confusing too!

5--rush hour starts at 6pm

6--allow ample time to get to your destination whether it be on the Tube, the bus, taxi or car. The tubes run in to technical problems all the time and even then, EVERYTHING takes time!

7--most of the time, Customer Service is non existent

8--the word 'chips' is not the 'chips' Americans know--it means fries

9--bring antibacterial hand sanitizer everywhere and use it especially after you get off of the Tube

10--Strongbow Cider is awesome!

11--email, snapfish photo sharer, and IM are gifts from the gods

12--it's always great to hear a loved ones voice

13--sending postcards and letters are fun but it can get expensive

14--A4 is the kind of paper you need to print on and/or use because London's regular paper is longer than the size we use at home

15--Umbrellas are good

16--knowing that you will be able to go home eventually is always reassuring

OMG...great stuff to end the semester

Okay...I've been fortunate enough to have seen some amazing and fun things these last few days.I've been able to see shows here that have gone beyond anything that I've ever seen before on stage and I think they have all contributed to ending this semester on a good note (in the theater-going sense).

So here's the 411 on the last few days: On Nov 30th I saw "Coram Boy". It was simply incredible and I actually cried at the end. I had really good seats in the orchestra and I was on the isle so I really got a sense of everything. The story was so amazing. It's based on a book about orphans who lived in London's famous Foundling Hospital about 200 years ago. It tells the story of some of those orphans. The storyline is really hard to explain, but it was just so moving, touching, clever, symbolic, and poignant. I was so thrilled that I decided to go see it on a whim! I hope to read the book one day to really get a better idea of the history behind the play too.

On  Dec 1 I finally went to Parliament and the House of Commons. I had already seen Big Ben when I first got here, but it was neat to see it again. And this time there was a big Christmas tree in the courtyard right below it. It really is very pretty on the inside and very ornate. I think our tour guide mentioned that there was about 4 tons of 22k goldleaf used in throughout the buildings! (but I can't be sure on the exact number).

Last night I went with Chelsea and some friends of ours to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. It really was a good change of scene considering that I had only been in a small radius around campus for several days. We went to this really nice theater with 3-4 floor, an ice cream shop, and a bar inside! The auditorium had a 'stage' with curtains across the screen. It was the nicest theater I've been in, however the floor was a filthy mess, but that's another story. I sang along with the songs and had a blast watching the movie with my fun glasses on. I liked seeing it in this way and I feel the movie was meant to be in 3D.

Then tonight I was blown away by Billy Elliot the Musical! I didn't know what to expect and all I knew about it was it was based on the movie and the reviews were 'smashing' here. Well, let me say it was more than smashing! You think of a positive descriptive word and I'm sure I would use it to express how much I enjoyed this show! The boy who played Billy was a 14 year old dancing genius! He literally put grown adults to shame! I was extremely impressed with him and also with the little girl ballerinas! There was one that couldn't have been more than 5! It was adorable! I'm so glad I got to see this as my last musical for the semester. Yay!