My finale!

Hello everyone. I write today in a bittersweet tone. It has been a few days since I have returned to Canada, and even though I am happy to be at home, with my family and other group of friends, and in my favourite city (sorry London), I cannot help but miss my Londoners and the experience I have just had. This past February, when I was accepted to the program, I still was not 100% convinced that I should go abroad, considering that it is my senior year. But, I realized that I would probably not have another opportunity like this, especially since I would be going with a few teammates. I am so glad I decided to go, this experience has truly changed my life.

I wanted to say thank you to a few people. Thank you to Jess Blank (my brother's GF) for giving me a lot of advice, and helping me make my decision. I really appreciate it. I want to thank Bob Cowser and Jeannine Wyman, our program directors, for making life in London very easy to adjust to, and a lot of fun. I want to thank my host family, the Daley's, for being welcoming and easy-going while Julia and I lived with you. You are all great. Thanks to everyone in the program, I've had a lot of fun getting to know you all, see you back on campus in January! And lastly, I want to thank my parents for allowing me to go. It was a bit of a struggle to get you both on board with this, and I want to say thanks for trusting me enough to let me go. You are the best.

Now, as some of you may know, I am a very organized person, and I love making lists, so I have made a few lists for you all to enjoy. I've also written down the 15 most important things I have learned while being abroad, in the hopes that maybe some of you will read these and apply them to your own travels. Here goes nothing:

Favourite Cities/Destinations (other than London):

1. Edinburgh (did this surprise anyone?)
2. Bath
3. Stockholm
4. Berlin
5. tie between Dublin and Oxford

Favourite meals:

1. Fish n' Chips
2. Reindeer (yup)
3. Bratwurst
4. Schnitzel
5. The Full English Breakfast

Favourite places in London:

1. Hyde Park/Buckingham palace (Lizzie II is my best buddy, we jam hardcore)
2. Waterloo area
3. Imperial War Museum
4. Churchill War Rooms
5. Portobello Market

Favourite pubs/clubs/bars:

1. Ice Wharf
2. O'Neils
3. Tiger Tiger
4. Dandelion (in Dublin)
5. Ice Bar

Favourite beverage:

1. Kopparberg Pear Cider
2. Bulmer's Cider
3. Pimm's Lemonade
4. Carlsberg Beer
5. Yorkshire Tea (hehe)

And now, for the 15 most important things I learned while abroad:

15. Never be afraid to break out your Mufty's.
14. Don't worry, Jeannine will fix it.
13. When in doubt, go to Primark. It will solve all of your problems
Coming from me, this next one will surprise some of you
12. Try not to be afraid of doing new things
11. Sarcasm is one of the best forms of humor, and the Brit's have it down to an art form.

10. Always, no matter what, MIND THE GAP.

9. Never have a bag that is bigger than you on EasyJet or RyanAir.

8. Always go to a hostel where a very large man named Toni knows your names.

7. When at a club, always expect the unexpected.

6. Wherever you go in London, know how to weave through a crowd.

5. Go to the Tate Modern, and feel really stupid for not understanding any of it.

4. Don't be afraid to find every important Harry Potter destination, because you are not the only one doing that. Everyone is. Magic is everywhere in London.

3. When your day is the worst, have a bratwurst.

2. Sometimes, it's better to enjoy a moment rather than to take a picture of it.

1. If you are ever feeling homesick, or tired, or sick, or whatever else, remember that you have an opportunity that many people will never have in their lives. Appreciate the gift of travel.

That's all folks. I really appreciate the fact that you have stuck with me, and bared with me while I make you all jealous of one of the best semesters I have ever had. I hope you have enjoyed this adventure as much as I have. Thanks for reading.

My last quote is from the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower:

And in that moment, I swear, we were infinite.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Thanks for sticking with me on my London Adventure!

You stay classy, planet Earth.

Last week of Adventures

Hey loyal readers, a.k.a Mom. This has been my last week/weekend in London, and I could not have asked for a better way to say goodbye to this city that I have grown to love. But, enough of that, I will post again next week after I have had time to reminisce about the experience. It will be my finale, and your final excuse to stop reading my blabbing.

Anyways, this past Saturday (Dec. 8th), me, Leslie, and Mike made our way to Abbey road, where the Beatles famously recorded. We literally walked the entire length of the street until we found the studio, and the famous crosswalk that they shot at for their album cover. It was hilarious to see all of these tourists walking across the crosswalk while there friends and family took pictures at the same time. I should add that this is a very busy street, and Londoners are not very patient with the tourists blocking the intersection. Here is me and Leslie crossing the street. I am way more enthused than she is.

I'm Ringo, she is John.

After that, we went to Notting Hill Gate and met Alex and Liz at Portobello Road market, which is a very cool area. We walked around for a bit, looking at all the little shops. Then we made our way to Waterloo, which is where the London Eye is. We didn't go on it, but there was a huge festival going on, and we walked around there for a while. After that, we all went home, and got ready to go out.

Sunday was boring for me. I had to do laundry, I was out of socks. And I need socks. So, I did that, and then I took a BIG walk to Muswell Hill and met Naeem for lunch. I walked into a few stores, trying to find a good book for my dad since I haven't bought him anything other than a few pebbles from Berlin, but there was nothing he hasn't read. So, I went back to the house, and watched some T.V and watched my lovable band of losers, a.k.a the Bills, throw away there season (not that it wasn't already gone). Oh well, there is always next year, and there is only a few more months until baseball season!!!!!!!

"I wonder if they serve hot chocolate..."

On Monday, after work, we went to the Hyde Park festival. It was this big winter festival with lots of candy shops and fun carnival-type rides. On Wednesday, we had a class meeting at Gower street (our last) to get our last stipends and hand in course evaluations and host family evaluations. On Thursday night, Leslie and I went to the Ice Hotel to have a drink at the Ice Bar. It is exactly what it sounds like: a bar made out of ice. Here are some pictures. It was a ton of fun!

Today, it's business as usual, my last day at work. I have to finish up some packing, and then we are staying out all night, and then jumping in our cab to Heathrow at 6 AM! My flight isn't until noon, but everyone else flies out at 10:30, so I wanted to go to say goodbye and not have to pay full price for a cab by myself haha.

Anywho, I'll write again after my jet lag is gone and I've settled back in at home.

Here is a quote from one of my favourite people, Amy Poehler:

Wooohooo! Ice Bar!

I cannot stress enough that the answer to life's questions is in people's faces. Try putting your iPhones down once in a while, and look in people's faces. People's faces will tell you amazing things. Like if they are angry, nauseous, or asleep.

Cheerio mates! 

Birthday beats!

Wow, what a day yesterday! It went by so quickly. I cannot believe I am officially 21. On most birthdays, I feel a little different than normal. But yesterday, I felt exactly the same. It was weird. Anyways, it was so nice getting messages from everyone wishing me a happy birthday! I really appreciate it. It's so nice to know that I have so many good people around me. Lot's of love to my homies. Thank you so much to everyone who made this birthday a great one. I am very excited to come home and celebrate with everyone in Toronto, but I am going to cherish my last 10 days here.

Yummmmmm, cake!

Me (left) and Sam (right) as weeee little lassies

On Monday night, I went to Jen and her boyfriend Tyler's flat for dinner. She felt bad because I was very close to bringing a dessert, which she told me was unacceptable. Apparently, nobody brings a cake to their own birthday party. Here is a picture of me and my delicious cake. Thanks Jen and Tyler for helping me kick off my birthday celebration!

Last night, me and a bunch of friends went to a bar called Rocket, which is near University College of London. I walked right up to the bouncer proudly declaring it was my 21st birthday, and the guy could not have been less excited. It's ok, I brushed it off, and still had fun.

So, this week is going to be pretty standard. Because this weekend is our last in London, we are going to go all out. It's going to be great. I will post again next week, which will be one of my last from London. Then, I think I will write something to reflect on the whole experience. Thanks for tuning in.

Here is a quote from Betty White:
People say, but Betty, Facebook is a great way to reconnect with old friends. Well, at my age, if I want to connect with old friends, I'm going to need a Ouija Board.

She is so funny! I'll write again soon!

Edinburgh!

Hey! Hope you all had a great weekend! Leslie and I got back from Edinburgh late last night. We had a great time!

Me outside the castle

Our train left Saturday morning at 8 AM, which is very early in my opinion. We were leaving from Kings Cross, so naturally we visited Platform 9 and three quarters again! Leslie brought her helmet camera with her on our trip, and she is making a video similar to the one she made for Berlin, so I will post that when it's finished. It's going to be very funny. Anyways, the train ride was beautiful, we went right along the east coast of England. Absolutely gorgeous. We got to Edinburgh around 12:30, and Leslie and I made our way to our HOTEL. I posted that in caps because it has been a very long time since we have stayed in one of those. It was glorious. We dropped off our stuff and went to grab a bite to eat. Then, we made our way back into town. We didn't get the memo that it gets dark there at like 4 PM, so we were a little baffled at first. Anyways, we walked around Old Town for a while, and made our way to Edinburgh castle, where we watched the sunset. It was incredible. Here are some pics:

Leslie and I at the castle. So pretty!

View of the city from the castle!

Then, we both wanted to find the famous Elephant House, which is where J.K Rowling wrote the early versions of Harry Potter. We were wandering, and decided to ask a doorman at a hotel called the Balmoral. This was the hotel where she finished the last book! Very cool! Here is a picture of me outside the Elephant House. We went in, and sat and had a massive pot of tea. While we were sitting, we looked out the window, and it looks straight out to the castle. Leslie smartly pointed out how similar the castle looks to Hogwarts. It was so cool. We were very excited. Anyways, after that, we walked around a little more, and then went back to our hotel because we were very tired.

On Sunday, we woke up, got breakfast, and checked out of our hotel. We got on a bus to take us to Arthur's seat. It took us 35 minutes to walk to the top, and this was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It seemed a bit unreal, to be honest. Here are a bunch of pictures. Also, Leslie and I made it our mission to plank at the top, which was a success.

After our hike, we made our way back to the castle, because we didn't get to go inside on Saturday. It was so cool! Here is a picture of Leslie with her head in one of the big cannons! The castle was blowing our minds a little because it looked like Hogwarts on the inside also. We were in heaven. After that, we went to do a little souvenir shopping. Leslie bought some mini bagpipes, one for her brother, and two for Liz. I bought a scarf for myself, my sister, and my mom. Nothing for you dad. I didn't think you would want a kilt, which is what I would have bought you. Then, we grabbed some food, and hopped on the train home.

Best. Day. EVER

On the way up to Arthur's seat!

My favourite picture from the trip. At the top of Arthur's seat.

It's business as usual for this week, except that I am having dinner with Jen tonight. Then tomorrow, is my birthday! I'll post again on Wednesday to tell you all about the big 2-1!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a quote from J.K Rowling:

Leslie in the cannon!

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.

See yah soon!

She works kinda hard for no money

Hey friends! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but nothing very exciting has happened to me in the past few days. I've just been busy at work. I'm doing a lot of research, most of it for potential new clients, but I also do research for helping B3 re-do their website. I helped create their site map, and ideas for a template. It's been pretty standard work, but I'm really enjoying working in a different environment than in the past, and Sarah and James are very fun to work with. They have helped me understand what they do better, and have helped me improve my writing a lot.

This upcoming weekend, Leslie and I are going to Edinburgh. We are only there for one night, but we are both very excited! We are going to go to Edinburgh Castle, do some hiking, and of course, go see, drink, and eat in the pub where J.K Rowling sat down to write the first HP book. Very exciting stuff for two geeks like us. I'll be sure to post again with some pictures after the trip.

But, next Tuesday is a very big day... It's my 21st birthday! I can't believe it is almost December already. I promise to post a really cheesy, sappy blog about my life after my birthday. Everyone in our little group is getting together on Tuesday night to celebrate, which should be fun.

Me, Leslie, and Mike are also potentially buying tickets to a football (soccer for all you Americans/Canadians) match next week. It's supposed to be Tottenham FC against some Greek team. I think that if it was a bigger deal, the tickets wouldn't be 20 pounds, and still available. But, oh well, we don't really care. It should be fun though.

Last week, I went to see the new Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper film Silver Linings Playbook. It was ok. The only reason I liked it was because the two leads were great. Bradley Cooper, as sexy as he is, is actually a surprisingly good actor. And Jennifer Lawrence was incredible. Prediction: she will get an Oscar nod for that role. Amazing.

On a different note, Leslie, Liz and I saw Twilight on Monday. I don't think it was meant to be a comedy, but Leslie and I were laughing through most of it. That's how bad it was. I will say that the last  hour was a little entertaining. It just looked so cheaply made for a franchise that makes so much money when a movie comes out. Oh well, no one will miss these now that they are gone!

Other than that, life is good. I'll write again soon!

Here is a quote from Silver Linings Playbook: 
I don't want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings.

Cheers!

First week at work!

Hello, friends. Hope your Thanksgiving week has gone well, and that you are all not getting trampled a the black Friday sales. I've had a great week so far. I started at B3 creative on Monday, and everything is going smoothly so far. I'm really enjoying working with Sarah and James, they are great people. On Tuesday, I saw les Miserables. It was really good. I was a little in awe of the singing. It is such a difficult show to put on because of the music, so I was really impressed. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it comes out around Christmas time. On Wednesday, me, Liz, Leslie, Hannah, Mike, Alex, and Naeem went ice skating at the Canary Wharf skating rink, which was really fun. The skates were horrible, and so was the ice, but skating is skating. I didn't realize until then how much I miss playing hockey. But, Alpine is building an outdoor ice rink this winter, so hopefully I'll be able to play a little over break. It was a lot of fun, and teaching Naeem was a disaster. I tried, but he just couldn't seem to get it. Anyways, yesterday was Thanksgiving, which is one of my favourite days of the year. I love it so much because it is a day dedicated to two of my favourite things: family and food. Put the two together and you get a great day! But, instead of spending the day in Toronto with my family like I normally do, I spent the evening with Jen and her friends. They were all very nice and very curious about how my semester has been going. The dinner was very good, Jen and her boyfriend Tyler did a wonderful job. I then went home and Skyped with the whole family during there dinner. That was really nice also!

I guess since it was Thanksgiving yesterday, I should say what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my sister Sammy and my brother Adam for always making me laugh. I am thankful for my Grandma and Gordie for constantly trying to bring me to Florida to spoil me. Even when I'm not in Florida, you spoil me. I am thankful for my Granny for always entertaining me, and teaching me how to make the best eggplant parm in the world. I am thankful for my Aunt's and Uncles for being so supportive and interested in my life, which means so much. I am thankful to my cousins, Erin and Carrie, for always being able to talk to them about anything. I am thankful for my wonderful friends, at SLU, in Toronto, and wherever else, for accepting me for who I am, I love you all. And lastly, I have to thank my super-hip parents for giving me an amazing life, and making sure I am happy. Basically, I am thankful for everything.

Not sure what everyone is going to be up to this weekend. I have some laundry to do, some grocery shopping to do, and I definitely need to hit the gym after the feast I ate last night. I might go see the new Bradley Cooper (so hot) and Jennifer Lawrence movie, Silver Linings Playbook. It's getting some great reviews. Maybe Lincoln or even the new Twilight movie. I don't know, we will see where the weekend takes me. Enjoy, and make sure everyone cheers for my Bills on Sunday against the Colts. I've got a good feeling!

Here is a quote from Peter Travers, the movie critic at Rolling Stone, on the new Twilight movie:

You're going to hear a lot about Breaking Dawn Part 2 being the best of the Twilight movies. That's like saying a simple head cold is preferable to swine flu. They'll all make you sick.

Lol! Have a nice weekend!

Dublin!

The gang at O'Sheas Restaurant

Hello, friends! Hope you all had a great weekend! I am so happy to be done with classes. It's a nice change from what I'm used to, and who doesn't love finishing classes? On Thursday, me, Liz, Leslie, Mike, and Alex left for Dublin. Everything went smoothly, and as soon as we were done settling in at the hostel, we went and got some dinner. Then, we walked to The Temple Bar area, which is where all of the bars and pubs are in Dublin. It's a very famous area, and every bar we went to had live music, which was great. We didn't stay out too late because we wanted to walk around all day Friday.

Me and my empty glass.

We started Friday by going towards the Jameson Whiskey distillery. It was a really cool spot, but we didn't go inside. We kinda just wanted to look around. After that, we visited the famous Guinness Beer warehouse. After this blog, I think you are all going to think me and my friends are alcoholics, but I promise that is not the case. The factory was really cool, they explain the whole process of making the beer and how they ship it out. Plus, at the end, they give you a free pint! As much as I wanted to like the beer, I really couldn't. I prefer light beer, and I just let Liz finish mine; she likes it a lot more than me.

Leslie, with Alex for arms

Outside the famous Temple Bar

After the tour, we walked around the city for a while, and then we went back to the hostel to nap. After our nap, we got ready and went out for dinner. Then, we met up with some of the freshman from our program and we joined them on a pub crawl through Dublin. It was soo much fun. Each place was so different, and the music was awesome. We spent the majority of the night dancing and using each other for arms. See the photo to see what I'm talking about haha. On Saturday, we checked out of our hostel, and spent the rest of the day walking around and enjoying the city one last time. Dublin really is a beautiful city, I highly recommend going. We had an awesome weekend overall.

Today, I slept in, took a shower, and bought some groceries. Because my Bills played Thursday (and won!), there's no football, but I'm going to catch up on some T.V and read my book. Also, I will be reading the most recent issue of People magazine, which features the sexiest men of 2012. I'm still made that my husband, Jake Gyllenhaal hasn't won yet. It's a disgrace. Also, please wish my mom, Susan, a very happy birthday! She is the best person ever, so you will all feel guilty if you don't wish her a happy birthday. In all seriousness, she is the best mom, and deserves the best. After all, she's the Duchess for a reason. Love you Suzie!

Anyways, this week is going to be really fun! I start work tomorrow, and then on Tuesday, I'm seeing Les Miserables. On Wednesday, a bunch of us are going ice skating at Canary Wharf. I'm going to teach Naeem how to skate, so it should be interesting. On Thursday, I'm celebrating Thanksgiving with Jen and her friends, which I'm really looking forward to. Other than that, there isn't much else to report.

In the words of my mom, "eat your salad before it gets cold!"

See you on the flip side!

Fun time with Adam!

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend and a good week so far. Sorry it has been a few days since my last post, but exams are right around the corner, and I will be going into hibernation starting tomorrow. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, it basically means that I will not be in contact with the outside world until exams are over. This word was coined by my loving mother during my last year of high school when she would basically imprison my sister and I during exams. I learned a lot about my mother from this act: she is a hypocrite. Don't lie mom, we all know you cheated off of dad on your exams. It's ok, I still love you for forcing me to study hard, because without you and dad, I wouldn't be studying abroad in London.

Anyways, this past weekend was really fun. I got to spend all day Sunday with my brother Adam! It was so great to see him! We met around 11, and got some breakfast. After that, we made our way to the Tower of London, and walked around there a little while. We saw the Crown Jewels, and the spot where Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's wife that he divorced his first wife for) was beheaded. After the tower, we made our way to the Tate Modern. Adam and I felt very ignorant (his words) while in the gallery. Last time we were there, we saw a piece of art that was literally just a can full of the artists poop. I'm not lying to you. We looked for it, but it wasn't there. After that, we made our way to the London Eye. We hopped on, and about a third of the way up, we both started to feel a bit nauseous. Too bad for us, we still had 20 minutes to go. We sucked it up, and after that, we went back to his hotel to freshen up for dinner. We met Adam's friend Jen for dinner at Hakassan, which is an amazing Asian restaurant. Thanks mom! Then, we said our goodbyes! It was an amazing day, but it did make me miss my whole family, especially since Thanksgiving is coming up.

In some big news, my amazing Adam was accepted to graduate school at Columbia, where he will study Business!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If Gramps was still alive, I know he would be so proud and happy that his favourite (and only) grandson would be going to his alma matter.

This week has been about getting ready for exams, and working out my schedule for studying. I have a great plan worked out. I'm really excited for next week to be over, because me, Liz, Leslie, Alex, and Mike are leaving for Dublin on Thursday night! We are staying until Saturday, and I know we will have a ton of fun. Then, on Monday the 19th, I start my internship with B3 Creative. I know it's going to be hard, but very rewarding.

Other than that, there isn't much else to report. Wish me luck on my exams, and I promise I will blog once I get back from Ireland! Cheerio!

Here is a quote from one of my idols, Meryl Streep:
I want to feel my life while I'm in it.

So wise, Meryl.

November=Crunch Time

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a fun Halloween! I didn't get a chance to dress up, I was stuck doing a paper. What did you dress up as? I was never super creative with my costumes. Dad always said, "the simpler the better", and I couldn't agree more. I cannot believe that today is the first day of November. Time is absolutely flying by. I know its winding down to the end of the year because Starbucks now has their Holiday cups lol. Everything here is going well. There are lots of papers to be written and 3 finals to prepare for, but I promise I'm still finding time to have fun. Tonight Naeem and I are going to see Skyfall (the new bond movie) in IMAX! I'm really excited, and it has gotten really good reviews so that's good. I also saw Ruby Sparks and Argo recently. Ruby Sparks was ok, very similar to (500) Days of Summer, and Argo was excellent. I really liked it. After the movie, we are going to the University of London Union for Karaoke night! This is really dangerous: I have easily the worst singing voice on this Earth, and after a few drinks, it doesn't get any better. So, maybe instead of singing I will rap. I'm like the white jewish canadian female version of Jay-Z if you hadn't heard. Maybe I can convince Liz to go up there and rap with me haha. This weekend is going to be amazing! Tomorrow, I'm going to go to the gym and do a little shopping and some homework, and probably go out. Saturday, I'm going to work extra hard to get as much work done as possible so that I can be relaxed when Adam arrives on Sunday! I am beyond excited to see him! I think we are going to see the Tower of London, with Adam's friend Jen that lives here, and then go to Hakkasan (an awesome Japanese/Asian fusion restaurant) for dinner. Other than that, there isn't much else to report. One comment to all the gentlemen reading this: as a young lady, I do NOT approve of No-Shave November. Please, please, please, SHAVE! Thanks!

Here is a quote from one of my favourite bands, Coldplay. It's the song "Hurts Like Heaven" from their most recent album, Mylo Xyloto:
On every street every car every surface a name, tonight the streets are ours, and we’re writing and saying, don't let them take control, no we won't let them take control

Cheers!

Busy Bee!

Hey all! This week has been insane. I've been so busy doing schoolwork. But, I've only got 3 weeks of classes left! It is so crazy to think that! This week, I had to write a paper for art. I chose to write about portraits of 3 famous monarchs: Elizabeth I, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. Here is a quiz: name the 3 actresses who have played these queen's in these respective movies: Shakespeare in Love (Elizabeth I), The Young Victoria (Victoria), and The Queen (Elizabeth II). Answer in the comments section! Speaking of royalty, on Thursday morning, our history class met at the Churchill War Rooms which is a museum and exhibit dedicated to the rooms in which Churchill and his advisers met in during the Battle of Britain during WWII. While we were waiting outside, we saw a bunch of cops on motorcycles and in town cars drive past, and in the back seat of the awesome Bentley, we saw two older looking ladies who looked like they were Lizzy II's besties. Anyways, it was really cool to see something that you normally only see on the news right in front of you!

The actual Churchill rooms were amazing. A lot of them are still intact, but without their original furnishings. Dad, when you come back to London, you have to go! You would love it. Anyways, after that, me, Liz, and some of the freshman in our class went to grab lunch at a pub, and then we had art class in the National Gallery. We spent the class learning about perspectives and how to draw. I am so artistically challenged, and I found that whole afternoon very embarrassing. But, oh well, that's life.

Other than that, I've just been super busy with school work. I'm about to start working on a paper for history class on David Lloyd George, who was PM during WWI. Thrilling right? I also had a meeting today with the company I'm going to intern for at the end of the semester. It's called B3 creative, and there are only 2 full-time employees there. I was blown away by how much they have on their plates, and they do an amazing job. I'll be working from 10-4ish everyday, and they are super casual. I'm really excited to start there soon! Julia is in Whales seeing a friend from high school this weekend, so I'm going out with Naeem, Mike, Liz, Leslie, and Peter. Should be fun! I also bought a theater ticket to see Les Miserables! I'm so excited.

I'm also really excited to announce that my brother Adam is coming to London on November 3rd! I could literally not be more excited to see him! It's been way too long, and I miss him! Hopefully, we will be able to go to a really high end, and expensive Chinese restaurant and make my parents pay for it hhahahah! Sorry mom and dad. I would also like to wish my cousin Erin a very happy birthday! Love yah!

Here is a quote from one of my fav shows, the Office:
Jim: Does that include 'that's what she said'?
Michael: Mmmmm, yes.
Jim: Wow, that is really hard. You really think you can go all day long? Well, you always left me satisfied and smiling.
Michael: Mmmmm... THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!

Cheers to the frickin' weekend everyone!

Living the true English life

Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the week. I've been very busy with schoolwork (blahhhhh). It's really hard for our teachers because they have to condense a 14 week semester into 10 weeks because we have 4 weeks for an internship at the end of the "semester", so the work has been piled on a bit. But, I can handle it. Anyways, this week was pretty uneventful, except for Friday. We took a field trip for the day to Oxford and Stratford. This was a ton of fun! We took a tour of Oxford, which is an amazing college town. The buildings are so old, but the city is full of young people. It's a little odd. And for all the loyal Harry Potter fans out there, this is where they shot some of the scenes from the first film. We saw where they shot scenes in the infirmary, and this is also the building where they got the inspiration for the Great Hall. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that (boo!). Leslie and I were very disappointed. But, after that, we had some time to wander, so I wandered into the school bookstore, and bought some Oxford gear. Now, whenever I go somewhere, I can tell people I went to Oxford, and I wouldn't be lying. I really went there. Get it? Haha. After Oxford, we got on the bus and rode an hour to Stratford. For those who don't know, Stratford is the birthplace and resting place of Shakespeare. He was that guy who wrote some of those plays and stuff. Honestly, I had never heard of him before going there (HINT: SARCASM). What was that one play he wrote that was really famous? Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter? Name the movie reference in the comments section! Anyways, we saw the house he was born in, which is pretty much still standing. Then we walked through town a little, and made our way to the church where he is buried, but we couldn't go inside (bummer). Then, we went to grab dinner, and then went to see an adaptation of Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter (a.k.a Juliet) at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford. It was really sad because the adaptation was of an old married couple, and the character of Juliet is suffering from a stroke and is slowly dying. I have to admit, I did fall asleep through 10 minutes of it (thanks Mike for not waking me up), but it was good. The 2 actors who played Romeo and Juliet were very good. I recognized the woman who played Juliet, and when I researched her, I discovered that she was in a Harry Potter movie. I said to Leslie that I have an amazing HP Radar haha. She played the character Mrs. Figg in the 5th movie. She helps Harry escape the Dementors that attack him and Dudley in the alley near Privet drive. I know, I'm a dork. I promise I will stop. But, it really is hard to escape the madness of Harry Potter when people in England love it as much as I do. After the play, we made our way back to London, and went to bed. On Saturday, I went to Camden Town, which is a very hippity-hoppity neighborhood in London. I had to buy some new jeans, and then I went to Muswell Hill, and got a lot of work done. Last night, Julia, Audrey, Naeem and myself went to grab a drink at a pub, but it was pouring rain, and a bit of a miserable night because of it. But, today, I slept until 11:30, which was awesome. I'm currently back in Muswell Hill at the Starbucks I was at yesterday doing more homework. I'm almost done, which is why I took a break to talk to you nice folks. Anyways, that's all for now. Going to go back to work so that I can watch my beloved Bills tonight!

Here is a quote from one of Shakespeare's Sonnets, 116:
Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.

Cheers guvnor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Berlin and Stockholm!

Guten tag (Hello in German), Hallå (Hello in Swedish)!!!!!!!! I made it back to London safe and sound yesterday, but I never got to post about Berlin and Sweden. 

Berlin was a little boring for me. Can you believe that an amazing city like Berlin is boring? Well, after being there nearly two weeks earlier, it was a little repetitive, but still incredible. We saw a lot of the stuff that me, Liz, Alex, and Leslie saw on our study tour, and we ate like kings yet again. The rest of the group seemed to like Berlin more than Paris, especially Mike, who adopted a pretty good German accent haha.

After our Easy Jet experience from Paris to Berlin, it was nice to fly on a real airline like Lufthansa. The flight was half empty, and I had an entire row to myself! As we came into our descent into Stockholm, the sun was setting and we were flying right over the Swedish countryside, which was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. It was one of the best flying experiences I had ever had. When we landed, we went to our hostel, which was one of the coolest things ever: IT WAS ON A BOAT! Now, the boat was docked, but it was still amazing. I'm not joking about this. You may think that this was silly, but it really was awesome. 

On Friday, we all took a bus tour of Stockholm because we didn't really know what cool things there were to see in the city. Our first stop was at the royal palace, which was beautiful. I promise I will post some pictures on Facebook as soon as I have time! Funny enough, while we were at the palace, we were right in the middle of the changing of the guard, which was really cool! After the palace, we went to the Nordic Museum, which is basically a museum of Swedish culture. But, in the lobby, the museum was hosting something called the Chocolate Festival. Again, THIS IS NOT A JOKE! There were hundreds of people and hundreds of booths where you could try free samples of a ton of different kinds of chocolate. This was probably the greatest thing ever! 

Friday night, Leslie and Liz showed up. They spent the week in Falun, which is where Leslie's family is from. On Saturday, I walked around the city by myself for a while, which was nice. I met up with Leslie and Liz for a bit, and Leslie and I spent a while looking at all the ski equipment in the sporting goods stores. It really made me want to go skiing! I know I'm going to miss it this year, especially if it doesn't snow in Collingwood this winter. Saturday night we all went out for a nice dinner at a restaurant on a boat. I'm assuming by now that you are discovering the theme of Stockholm. I ate Reindeer. For the last time, THIS IS NOT A JOKE! It was soooooo good! Then, we went back to the hostel to get ready to go out.

Sunday's travelling was pretty easy, other than the fact that the branch of the underground that we need to take to get back to our house was closed, so we had to take the bus. But otherwise, everything went really smoothly. This week is going to be very busy, because I'm going to go to the gym everyday to work off all the deliciously, horribly bad for you food I ate over the break, and also because I have a few assignments due. Besides that, life is treating me well!

Hope everyone is enjoying life! Here is a quote on traveling:

Henry David Thoreau: Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves 

Paris!

Hey everyone! So, right now I'm in Berlin! But, we spent all day Sunday and Monday in Paris! We got to our hostel late on Saturday night. It was in the area called Monmartre, which is very into nightlife, which made it difficult to sleep on Saturday, but it wasn't a big deal. On Sunday, we decided to go to Versailles! That palace is unbelievable! We spent nearly the whole day walking all around the gardens and the inside of the mansion, and it was sooooooo cool! Then, we went back to Paris, and walked around the city! We saw the the outside of the louvre, the place de la Concorde, the champs élysées, and the l'arc de triomph! We ate dinner at a restaurant near the arc, and then made our way towards the Eiffel Tower! We saw it lit up at night, and it was so beautiful! We spent some quality time looking at it and freaking out when it started to flash haha, anyways, the weather was great and it was a perfect day!

Monday wasn't as perfect. It rained all day long, and never stopped. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the morning, but you couldn't see a thing from the top because of the mist. The, we got a little lost trying to find the war museum, to which a nice and very attractive Australian man helped us find our way. We walked over 6 miles to get to the louvre in the hopes that we could go in, but the lineup just to buy tickets was crazy. So, we made our way to the musee dorsay, which was closed. We gave up and went to a cafe, where me Julia and Audrey proceeded to drink some very tasty wine. After getting a little buzzed, we went back to the hostel, grabbed our stuff, and made our way to the airport. At the airport, Audrey and I had some struggles. We were told our bags were too big to be put on the plane, and that we had to check our bags. If we did, we would miss our train and not be able to check into our hostel. I started to get really mad at the lady at the desk, telling her she lost a customer, and that this is no way to treat people who are paying for your services. As we were walking towards the plane, Audrey and I tore the baggage tags off, and got on the plane with our bags anyways. I was not in the mood to take crap from anyone. You would be so proud mom! It was a mad dash to the hostel on Berlin, mostly because there were no trains to the stop we needed to go to, so we took a detour, and luckily someone was still at the front desk checking people in.

Today, we are just going to relax and hang out, and maybe walk around a little bit. Everyone is a little tired from yesterday, so we will see what we want to do. For now, that's it. And again, sorry I can't post any pictures!

Here is a quote from a song by Wilson Phillips:
Things will go your way! Hold on for one more day!

Danka! Enjoy life!

Bonjour Paris!

Hey everyone. This week has been so busy! I had a few papers and a quiz this week, so I haven' had time to post anything new. But, here I am. On Thursday, our history class went to the Imperial War Museum, and it was amazing! We saw a ton of war artifacts from both WWI and II along with an exhibit on the Secret Service and Intelligence agencies in Britain. After that, we had art class at the Tate Britain and the Tate Modern. It was such a long day! Today, me, Julia, Hannah, Audrey, and Mike are going to Paris until Monday, and then we are making our way to Berlin. Our last stop is in Stockholm, where we will be meeting up with Liz and Leslie. I'm going to have my iPad, but I won't be able to post any pictures from my trip. I promise I will post about what we are doing. I'm really excited, and I hope everyone enjoys their mid-semester break, and Canadian Thanksgiving. Au Revoir!!!!!!!!!

Bridesmaids: 

Gil: Well, she can't work. She is here on a tourist visa.
Brynn: Yah, so technically I'm only allowed to tour. I have no way of making money. Unless I just go and prostitute down on the street. "Hello fellas. Here I am. Would you like to put your American sausage in my English McMuffin?"
Annie: No, No, No!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy everyone!!!!!!!!! I'll miss you!

Also, here is a fun video that Leslie made on our trip to Berlin:

Berlin!

Hello friends! I had the most amazing weekend! As I said in my last post, me, Liz, Alex, and Leslie went to Berlin from Thursday until Saturday. We were asked to see a ton of historic sights, but also to get a sense for the "vibe" of the city, and to try and understand the character and culture of Berlin. Y'all ready for this????

So, we struggled a lot on Thursday night trying to get to our Hostel. First, when we got off the plane, the money exchange counter was closed. This was a problem because none of us had any Euro's. This meant we didn't have any money to buy train tickets to get to Berlin. Luckily, I had 10 Euro's that Sammy gave me before coming to London, which was just enough to buy the tickets. We hopped on the train, and realized that our hostel stops checking people in at Midnight. It takes an hour to get there by train, and it was already 11:15, so we all started freaking out. We were so fortunate that the lady working the front desk waited for us, because she knew we were coming! We then settled into our room, and immediately went to find a place to eat. We were all starving. But, we had no money, so we spent another 30 minutes looking for an ATM. Thank god we found one, to which we gorged ourselves on burgers and fries. We went back to our hostel, and passed out.

Yummy!

Leslie and her beer!

Museum Island

Me at Brandenburg Gate

Holocaust Memorial at the Jewish Museum

My favourite destination, Checkpoint Charlie!

Friday was so eventful! We woke up and went to Alexanderplatz, which is a popular area just outside the city centre. We went there and were greeted by a huge open plaza, filled with authentic German food. We all got Brotwurst ("When your day is the worst, have a brotwurst" said the nice man who served us), which was unbelievable. Then, we went to an area where they had a "mini Oktoberfest" set up. Here are some pictures. Then, we bought tickets for the hop-on-hop-off city bus tour, which took us to the most important places, such as Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Jewish Museum. We saw all of this in one day! Here is a picture from all of these places! The Jewish museum was very interesting, but looking through the area that is dedicated to the Holocaust was really hard. They have a beautiful memorial outside, called the Garden of Exile, but they also have something called the Holocaust Tower, which is a massive concrete room, that is dark and empty. It is supposed to symbolize the horror and death that occurred during the Holocaust. I went into this room alone, and I started to cry. I can't describe it, but all I know is that I felt 6 million souls just pushing on me, and I have never felt more connected to those people in my life. Alex, Liz, and I talked about the museum afterwards, and we all agreed that our generation will never be able to comprehend anything that happened. It was a very difficult part of the day for me. But, afterwards, we went into the gift shop, and I bought a bracelet with a Jewish prayer on it. It's Shema Yisrael, which means: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one". That whole museum gave me a new perspective on life, and that is that I am probably one of the luckiest people on the face of the Earth.

After the Jewish museum, we went to Checkpoint Charlie, which is the surviving checkpoint for entrance into the former East Berlin. It was controlled by the American's until 1989, when the Berlin wall was taken down. We went into the museum, and it was filled with everything you could want to know about the Cold war and what it was like to live in East Berlin, which was controlled by the Soviets. It was amazing, and the whole time I was thinking about how cool my Dad would think it was. Trust me Dad, Berlin is one of the coolest cities ever! After this, we were exhausted and hungry, so we went back towards our hostel, and found an authentic German restaurant. I got Schnitzel, and Liz, Leslie, and Alex got sweet and sour beef, but I forget the German name for it hahah. After dinner, we went out around our neighborhood, but there weren't very many places, and we got a little lost, so after a while we just gave up and went to bed.

Me at the Berlin Wall

The Holocaust Memorial

The group at the Memorial

Me, Liz, and Leslie planking lol!

My little piece of the wall!

We woke up on Saturday, and had until about 6 PM before we had to go to the airport, so we went back to Checkpoint Charlie to buy some souvenirs. I got my passport stamped 6 times with authentic stamps from the actual checkpoint area, and I also bought a few pebbles from the wall. After this, we went to the see what is left of a big portion of the Berlin wall. Here are some pictures. After the memorial, we went back to Alexanderplatz, where we just hung out until we hopped on our train to take us to the airport. We didn't get home until about 1:30 last night! It was an amazing trip, and one that I will not forget. Today, I'm doing homework, and relaxing. I'm getting family dinner tonight, and the Bills-Pats game is on! LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is a quote to finish:

Elie Wiesel: For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.

I hope I didn't make you all too depressed with all of this! Enjoy life!

Yay! Berlin!

Hey everyone! So, today I got some very exciting news! Me and my Study Tour Group (Liz, Leslie, and Alex) got our travel info and itinerary for our weekend trip to Berlin. We leave on Thursday and come back to London on Saturday, and we are going to see some amazing things, like the Berlin Wall, The Jewish Museum, and the Holocaust Memorial. Alex, who has been to Berlin twice and speaks some German, which will definitely come in handy, told me that the Holocaust memorial is breathtaking, so I am really excited. This week hasn't been too busy so far, but I've got a few assignments piling up because mid-terms are coming up (can you believe it?) I have a History mid-term quiz next Tuesday, and a journal for Art class due on Friday, as well as a 5 page film analysis. So, things are starting to add up! But, once it's all over, I get to go on an amazing fall break!

Later in the week, I'm going to buy theatre tickets to see Les Miserables. I've always wanted to see this show, so hopefully I'll be able to buy tickets. Also, Mumford and Son's (a folk/indie/soft rock band) is playing at the O2 in December, and tickets go on sale on Friday, so I want to check that out also.

Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, which is the Jewish holiday in which we fast for one day in remembrance of those who suffered. So, I will be cranky all day haha. But, when it comes time to break the fast, it will be a ton of fun, because Naeem will be coming with me to a pub called Five Bells, which is literally 100 feet from my house. At this pub, they have what is called the "Flaming Food Challenge". I will not be attempting this, but Naeem will. Here is what it entails:

• Two 12 oz. beef burgers
• Two breaded chicken breasts
• Melted cheddar cheese
• Bacon
• Onions
• Onion rings
• Spicy beef chili
• Chips (what you American's/Canadians call french fries)

Crazy right? If you eat it all, you get your picture taken and get placed on the wall of fame. I think I'm just going to get a steak or something, but I think it will be fun to watch Naeem try to take this down. Anyways, I'll blog again later this week about Berlin!

Here is a quote from the book I just started reading, On The Road by Jack Kerouac:

Sal Paradise: "The air was soft, the stars so fine, the promise of every cobbled alley so great, that I thought I was in a dream."

Keep in touch! Stay classy!

Hooray for the weekend!

Hello all! This week has been pretty uneventful. I was busy doing schoolwork, working out (yay!) and booking hostels for my mid term break. We are good to go! We are spending 3 days in Paris, then 3 days in Berlin, and then 3 days in Stockholm, where we are meeting Liz and Leslie. I'm going on my trip with Julia, Hannah, Audrey, and Mike. The hostels are all really close to the center of each city, and are highly recommended, particularly for their safety. So, don't worry. The one we are staying at in Stockholm is actually an old ship that was used for (what else) shipping! It looks unbelievable! This weekend is going to be pretty relaxed, and I don't have a lot of homework to do, which is awesome. Next weekend is our study tours, where we all get split up into groups of four and explore different cities. Me, Liz, Leslie, and Alex are going to Berlin, and Julia is going to Rouen. I'm really looking forward to it. Later this week, I'm going to look into flights for other weekends, and potentially theatre tickets! I really want to see Les Miserables and Matilda, so I'll look into it. Other than that, there isn't much to report. 

As Julia and I are getting ready to go out, we are listening to some good music. I was inspired to put a quote from one of my favourite shows, Parks and Recreation:

Leslie: Nothing gets me more amped than Sarah Machlachlan.

Enjoy your weekend!

Sorry, sorry, sorry!

Hey, all! I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in almost a week! But, not to fear, I am here. That rhymed haha. Anyways, the reason I've been M.I.A for most of the week is because nothing really exciting happened until Art class on Thursday. We went to the British Museum first, and we got to go to a very special room called the Print Room, which is only open to the people who work there, and students. We saw some of the original drawings done by famous painters! We saw some of Da Vinci's early sketches for his David statue, and some pretty cool other ones that I can't remember right now. From there, we went to the Coliseum theatre, which is the oldest opera house in London. We had a tour guide take us around and show us backstage. We also got to go sit in the royal box, and I was even allowed to sit in the Queen's chair! That was pretty cool!

On Friday, the whole group got on the bus to go on our weekend trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath. We drove about 2 hours southwest, and went to Stonehenge first.

Me saying, "Wad up with that?"

Leslie and I jumping for joy. Alex (left) looks amused

To say that I don't understand Stonehenge is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, it is truly spectacular (stealing a line from my mom), but I still can't get how they got those rocks there. Me and Mike kept saying that it was aliens, but nobody wanted to seem to jump on that bandwagon. Here are some pics!

Next to Stonehenge, there is a lot of farm land. I mean, a lot. So, when we were done looking at the rocks, me and Liz hopped a fence and started walking around. There were thousands of sheep everywhere, and Liz and I were trying to get close to them, but every time we did, they ran away. Oh well, I hope it wasn't something I said.

View from the top of the castle!

"The pit of despair"-Name the reference!

Following that, we got on the bus and drove another 30 minutes to see a castle called Old Serum. This was so amazing! The castle sits on a hilltop, and was built to prevent enemies from reaching it. The views were absolutely amazing! We walked around the castle grounds for a while, and took it all in. So far, I am loving the English countryside. It's one of those things that if you go, you'll get it. Trust me. Here are a few pictures.

Salisbury Cathedral

Welcome to Hogwarts!

From there, we drove to Salisbury. This town is so quaint and gorgeous. I've been there before with my family, but I totally forgot how cool it is. A bunch of us went to an amazing fish n' chips spot. It's a good thing I joined a gym earlier this week, or else I would be in big trouble. We walked around for a little while, and then we were given a tour of the Cathedral. This place is amazing. When you are walking through the courtyard, it feels like you are walking through Hogwarts, which is an added bonus for me. Anyways, this cathedral has the Magna Carta, and tons of beautiful stain-glass windows. Here is a snippet.

From there, we drove further into the city of Bath. Talk about gorgeous. There are not enough pictures to show you all how incredibly beautiful this city is. I can't describe it. Well, we arrived, and we stayed at a YMCA, which was my first experience at a hostel. It was perfectly fine, as we were in the room for less than 12 hours total. As soon as we dropped our stuff off, me Julia and Naeem went to explore the town. We found some great places to eat and go out that night. We got ready, and then a bunch of us took Bath by storm.

On Saturday, we were given a walking tour of the city. While we were on this tour, we discovered that there were a lot of people dressed very strangely, as if they were right out of the Victorian era. Well, wouldn't you know it, there was a Jane Austen festival in town. She wrote some of her novels there, so every year, the city has a festival. It was so cool to see these people walking around everywhere we went. After the walking tour, we were given the afternoon to continue to explore the city, and obviously, go see the Roman Bathes. Me, Julia and Naeem went for lunch, and then went to the Bathes.

Bath Abbey in the background, Bathes down below

I'm quite the rebel. The sign said no!

This place is an amazing site. You can't believe how well preserved these bathes are. The whole place is breathtaking. We walked around and saw the different bathes, one cold and one hot spring. It was awesome! I can't tell you in words, so again, pictures. After the bathes, we went to the Fashion museum, which was pretty cool. They had an area where you could dress up Victorian style, so I helped Julia put a corset and dress on, and Naeem got all decked out. It was pretty funny.

After all that in two days, we took our four hour bus ride home. This was good, because I had a lot of time to read my book. It's called Unbroken, and its written by the author who wrote Seabiscuit. It's an amazing story, I recommend it to anyone. Anyways, today, I slept, and did some homework, and we have family dinner soon, so I'm signing off.

Here is a quote from my favourite movie, the Lion King:

Timon: Hakuna Matata. It means, "no worries!"

Loving life

Hey Everyone! Sorry that it's been a few days since my last post, I've been really busy with schoolwork. But, here is a little recap of the last few days.

On Thursday, I had to give a presentation to my History class. My presentation was about David Lloyd George, who was the British Prime Minister during WWI. It went pretty well, and I got a 3.5 (85% for all the Canadians), which I was happy about. Then, my afternoon class was Art. Our class met at the National Portrait Gallery, which is directly behind the National Gallery right by Trafalgar Square. This gallery was really cool. They had tons of different portraits dating back to the Tudor era. We looked at portraits of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. After this section, we moved on to the Victorian era, and saw a tons of portraits of Victoria and Prince Albert. This was so amazing, partially because I love the movie that was made about these two, called The Young Victoria, starring Emily Blunt. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's great. Anyways, the actual Victoria was nowhere near as pretty as Emily Blunt, but it was cool because our art teacher pointed out that this royal couple was the first to marry for love, rather than for reasons of wealth, or power. After this, we moved on to 20th and 21st century portraits. We even saw J.K Rowling's portrait, which obviously made me happy. There is even a portrait of David Beckham (hottie) and Kate Middleton (my nemesis. She stole my boyfriend, remember?). This was one of the coolest exhibits I've seen.

Olympic Stadium

After the gallery, a bunch of us went to Stratford, which is where the Olympic Park is. It sucks because you can't really get anywhere near the stadiums, but I took a beautiful picture of the Track and Field Stadium. It was cool to be there, and after we figured out we couldn't get in, we went to the mall they built right outside. It was really fun. They literally have every store you could think of, and we saw some athletes walking around there also.

Naeem, Mike, and Peter at Buckingham Palace

St. Paul's Cathedral

Mike, Richie, Peter, Audrey, and Leslie at the Tube

On Friday, our whole group was given a bus tour around the city of London. One of the best things about this was that our tour guide was constantly pointing out significant places that have to do with Harry Potter. Leslie and I were really only excited when the guide said, "this is the street where you can get to the Ministry of Magic" hahahahah. Anyways, we've been making a list of all these places so that we can do one big trip! We went back to Buckingham palace, and to a lot of the places that Julia, Mike, and I went to. But, I still am not bored of it. The tour was very long, and we went from one side of the city to the other. We also saw St. Paul's Cathedral, which was so beautiful. Then, Julia and I came home, and got ready to go out. We had another fun night out, with the tube ride being particularly interesting. We got a little lost, but we found our way.

Princess Diana memorial.

The Palace!

Today, Julia and a bunch of the group took the opportunity to go on a weekend Homestay with an ethnic family. I wasn't interested, so Audrey and I went to Kensington Palace, and hung out there for the day. They have a beautiful gate area, where people have left notes and flower in memory of Princess Diana. This is the palace where William and I... I mean Kate (sorry, we get mixed up a lot), will be moving in a few weeks. It is so beautiful there. We sat in the garden and read all day. Tonight, we are going to see a movie. We are both way too tired to go out again. I need to catch up on sleep.

Anyways, in honor of Harry Potter, here is one of my favourite quotes from the books:

Dumbledore (to Harry): Do not pity the dead. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love.

Peace out.

So much sightseeing!!!!!!!!!!

Hey again! I've had an awesome few days here. First, on Monday, the one class that I was supposed to have was cancelled!!!! Every kids dream! In the morning, I went to the British Museum to take some pictures of the art we looked at for my Art History class so that I wouldn't forget what we saw. Then, I went down to Green Park to meet Jen Etkin for lunch. Jen is my brother Adam's best friend from Colgate, and she lives in London. It was really nice to catch up with her. She was so nice and gave me lots of advice on stuff to do and see. She invited me over to her new apartment for dinner next week, which was so nice. Anyways, after that, I went and did some homework, and then got an email from Bob, our program director, asking if anyone could babysit for his two kids that night. So, I volunteered, and hung out with his 11 year old Jackson and his 7 year old Mason. Jackson is very quiet, but really smart and funny once you get him talking. Mason is quite the firecracker. That kid is so energetic and so funny. We had a good time, the boys taught me how to play Xbox Kinect, which was pretty cool. After I put them to bed, I did some more homework, and went home when Bob and his wife Candace came back from the theatre.

Today, I had history class in the morning. 9:30, yuck. I was up at 7:45, which is the earliest I've been awake since I've been here. But, I love the class. Keith is so funny and knows so much about the most random things. It's also nice that Liz, Michael, and Naeem are in the class also. Otherwise, it would be me and all the freshman haha. After class, the four of us grabbed lunch, and then me, Michael and Julia went on a sightseeing extravaganza. Here we go...

It's hard to see, but Prince William is in the window winking at me. Kate was not amused haha.

The square/fountain outside the palace

We took the tube to Green Park, and walked through the park to Buckingham palace. To anyone who hasn't been there, you have to find your way there. It truly is spectacular. When you get there, you can't stop staring. We missed the changing of the guard, but we still caught a glimpse of a few of them. We stood there for about 15 minutes just gawking at the palace. Michael, Julia, and I kept saying, "I can't believe I'm looking at this right now". Amazing!

After the palace, we walked through St. James's Park, which is also beautiful. We then made our way towards the big leagues, and by this, I mean Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben.

While we were doing all of these things, I kept thinking to myself that people who live and work in this area walk past these amazing monuments everyday, and don't even notice it. This idea baffled my mind. I feel like I would get lost in gawking at all this stuff. Maybe it's because I'm a huge dork, but oh well. I don't care.

Downton... whoops, I mean Westminster Abbey.

As you can imagine, Big Ben and the Abbey are crazy beautiful. Here are some pics. After these amazing things, we kept piling it on. We walked along the Thames, and looked at the London Eye!   We also found a hidden gem. We found this beautiful monument to soldiers from WWII. I found this particularly touching, as my grandfather was a pilot for the U.S Air Force during the war. It was so beautiful, and while I was looking at it, all I could think about was Gramps, and remember how lucky I am that I am there because of him.

This one is for you, Gramps.

Big Ben!

London Eye!

After all of that really heavy stuff, we kept on walking and saw the royal guards. Julia and Michael made silly faces at them, which did not break there concentration. While we were there, we saw the Chinese Paralympic team. I still think that those athletes are incredibly talented and motivated, it really is cool to watch them compete. After that, we checked out Trafalgar Square, which is being used for coverage of the Paralympics. We also happened to bump into the Canadian Embassy. I felt very at home looking at all those flags!

A guard that was much taller than me. Who isn't?

Trafalgar Square!

Oh Canada....!!!

Then, we made our way through the National Gallery. We didn't stay very long, as we were all very tired. I really can't believe we did all of this in one afternoon. I really want to go back to the area all the time. I don't think I will ever get bored of looking at all of that cool stuff. We came home, and our host dad Mark made us dinner. He is a really good cook! We had grilled salmon fillets, sauteed veggies, and potatoes. Now, I'm working on a presentation for class on thursday and relaxing. Hope you have all enjoyed being jealous of what I get to do everyday! Oh, and you will also find a long awaited photo of our host dog (lol) Coco. Be jealous. She is really posing for you all.

Today's quote comes from Oscar Wilde. He once said:

Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.

The National Gallery!

Werk it, Coco!