We made it!!

We finally made it to London for our study abroad trip! After we got to the hotel, which felt like forever! We had a few hours off to unpack, find some food and explore the city before we all gathered back up to go learn the tube, see Picadilly Circus and Leister Square. A few of us met in the lobby and headed out on our first adventure, finding food! Unfortunately, we couldn’t find where we originally were trying to go some of us went to go get burritos and nachos, and the other half went to get Pret A Manger for coffee and sandwiches. We all met back up in Russell Square and had a good time eating and seeing the sights. We were supposed to meet back in the lobby at 18:00 or 6:00 pm to go to the tube and Picadilly Circus and Leister Square. It was very chaotic trying to get 20 people to the tube, especially with all of the other people trying to get where they were trying to go. We got on the tube no problem and headed out to Picadilly Circus, we got to walk around there for a while which was very hectic fun super interesting because there were so many different people there, speaking different languages, it was very cool to observe. We got to see the TKTS booth and then we all split up and went our separate ways. We ended up going to the M&M store and the Lego store, then walked through Chinatown for a little bit, then we decided to take the tube back to the hotel, but stopped to sit in Russell Park again because we enjoyed it so much the first time. I would say that it was a great first day in London, can’t wait for many more!

We Made It!

We finally made it to London! After traveling for what feels like a lifetime we made it to Central London. The trip from DFW to here wasn’t so bad, the air condition on the plane was amazing! We were served dinner around eleven pm and I decided to get the chicken and rice. It low-key made my stomach hurt for the next couple hours, but I’m not complaining too much. When we got off the plane we got into a coach to bring us to the Royal National Hotel. Emily and I were pleasantly surprised when we saw that we were the only two in our room. SO AWESOME!

After we settled in, we decided to go out to grab dinner with some of our other peers. Out of all the places here we decided to go to a place named “Tortilla”, it’s like a very distant cousin of Chipotle. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best. We got it to go and sat in Russell Square Park and had a picnic with everyone. Then we headed back to the hotel to meet with everyone and learn how to ride the tube. It wasn’t as hard to use/ understand as I thought it was. It was kinda of easier to navigate than NY. We went to Piccadilly Circus station and Leicester Square. We walked around for a while when we got there. We saw some really cool statues, lots of birds, and the M&M store. I ended the night riding the tube back with some others and hanging out in the park before heading back to our rooms

We are back in our room now, and getting ready for bed. Super tired, but excited to see Buckingham Palace tomorrow. Also, loving the weather here so much. Until tomorrow everyone, bye!

One down, a lot more to go

It finally happened, we made it to London. All it took was 9 hours on a plane and all my hopes and dreams. At the very least I had the charismatic attitudes of the metal band to keep entertained and sane (They were heading to Romania for a music festival, and they were going to be the opening number for Pantera. Band song). Getting off that plane was a better experience than any birthday I have ever had, and it made being in London feel like a fever dream. I have now been here for 9 hours and I can say it is very real. London is a very beautiful and confusing city that somehow feels so familiar and comfortable. Most of the food is just stuff that we have in Arkansas, but there is definitely a lot more authentic European food here. Despite the options, I have eaten nothing but American garbage and I plan to eat a lot more of it too. There are so many cafes and tobacco shops that I really am surprised they live past 30 up here. London also has some crazy ass places! I went to M&M World and bought an awesome ass fanny pack (photos to be posted later), and I visited London’s China town with some new friends. There is also so much theatre here! Even if I tried, I could never watch every show they had to offer, but I hope to see some good shows while I am here. So far London has impressed me, but I think I am more excited to spend this next month with some really fun and interesting people. Today I learned everybody’s name, and all I have to do now is not say something stupid. Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, please pray that I don’t say anything stupid because it is really hard for me sometimes. Besides all of that, I look forward to what the British throw my way!

Finally Abroad!

Almost 24 hours after first getting to XNA, I am now sitting in the Royal National Hotel in Bloomsbury, Central London. The trip to get here was fairly uneventful but still was not without its hardships. Our first flight from XNA to DFW went by surprisingly quick, with it barely feeling like the plane left the ground. But it was after we landed and got to grab a quick bite to eat at the airport that I realized just how bad this next flight was going to be. An hour is like a nice lunch break, but 9 hours is a full day’s work. 

Fortunately I had an aisle seat, giving me just a bit more legroom to last the entire journey, and after taking off the first hour went by relatively quickly, with dinner being served and a movie playing on the entertainment system, but that still left 8 to go. After another hour I started to try and sleep through the rest of the flight, and eventually I was successful, but only for around 4 hours, leaving me with 3 more to sit through. Thankfully these last three were much easier to get through since I had now carved out a semi comfortable spot for myself, and before long we had finally arrived at Heathrow!

Navigating Heathrow was far easier than I expected, and to my surprise customs consisted of no more than scanning your passport and face at a personless kiosk. We then picked up our luggage and got on the coach to the Royal National! Once here we all went up to our rooms to unpack and briefly rest, before each going our separate ways to figure out something to eat. A few of us decided to get a taste for London by traveling all the way to the hotel lobby where the Blooms Pizza Cafe was located. Sometimes simplicity is the best option.

Finally, to end the day we all took our first trip on the London Underground, visiting Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square! From just our brief outing into the city I can already tell that this will be one of my favorite cities that I have gotten to see, likely because of its unique seeming combination of historic and modern architecture and aesthetic. I can’t wait to see what the rest has in store! 

The Shakespeare statue at the center of Leicester Square

5/23: Landing in London

We landed in London around 12:45 at Heathrow National Airport, and despite the minimal amount of sleep that I got on the plane, I was very excited to start walking around and seeing everything the London has to offer. After we got to the Royal National, Jackson, Ryan, and I got pizza from the restaurant inside the hotel and before the group met at 6:00 for the tour of Picadilly Circus and to learn how to use the Tube, I took a quick 20 minute nap in my room. Jackson and I then joined the rest of the group and we left for the walking tour. Seeing Picadilly Circus was cool, but I was more interested in the next little area that we spent some time in, Leicster Square. Our first stop after we made it to Leicster Square, and bore witness to the great Billy Shakespeare statue, was to get pictures next to a metal statue of Paddington Bear on a bench. We also saw a statue of Batman perched on top of a nearby rooftop, surveying the city as The Dark Knight typically does. Seeing all of these cool little statues was very fascinating and fun and I am excited to find more little Easter egg-like statues throughout the various Parks and Squares in London. After admiring the statues and taking some pictures, a group of us went into the M&M’s super store and looked around for a moment. We then went into the most touristy place we could find, the Lego store, and I grabbed a couple of Brick-Heads to bring home as a souvenir. The group then made its way to a park next to the hotel to sit for a little bit, and after about 30 minutes, I made my way back to the hotel to call it a night. The jet lag is definitely hitting me hard right now but I am excited for the tour of the city by coach tomorrow morning and to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. 

Learning of London

Over the past couple of days, I have sat in a classroom with new peers as we prepare to embark on a journey to London to study the magic and education of theatre. It is quite difficult to conceptualize the idea that soon we will be in the places our professor shows images of to us on a projector. We have studied the works of Shakespeare in the class on campus such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Comedy of Errors. My favorite play that we have studied is a play called Dancing at Lughnasa by an Irish playwright named Brian Friel. I have enjoyed reading these plays and I can’t even begin to imagine how fascinating it will be to see them be performed by talented actors on a decorative stage. It is quite astounding to think that in a short amount of time I will be in The Globe Theatre where Shakespeare himself performed his plays. We are planning on seeing over 33 plays during our 28 day stay. Towards the end of our trip, we are packing our bags to stay at Stratford-Upon-Avon where the one and only Shakespeare was born and grew up. To say that I am ecstatic is an understatement. I am so eager to learn of all the different cultural differences and landmarks of England. I even plan to take a day trip to Paris and also take a weekend get away to Ireland if I can. It is in moments like these that I am so grateful for technology and that it allows me to take friends and family along for the journey through these blogs. As I sit here and type, I think of how blessed I am to have such an opportunity that my parents and even grandparents never had. I am so grateful to do and see the things they never got the chance to. That is what we want for our children, for them to have the opportunity to experience realities we never had the privilege of even dreaming about. I hope my family sees the role they play in my ability to set off to see new parts of the world, and I hope they know that all the while, I am carrying them with me as I go.

P.S. I may or may not have been practicing my accent when I’m alone in my room and I may or may not have made an entire Pinterest board of outfits I plan to wear while I’m over there.