Last Week in London

So, I kind of forgot to write about my last week in London, and now I'm not sure I remember everything that happened...
During the week I was pretty busy with end of the term papers and finals, but I did take a long walk one night from the winter fair in Hyde park to Green Park and Buckingham Palace.
OH--The last weekend about half of the house went to FABRIC, the largest nightclub in Europe, supposedly. It was ridiculously expensive to get in (about $25), but it was definitely neat. There were three rooms, but each of those rooms had different sections. We got separated at one point and it was nearly impossible to find everyone again. We danced until about 3 am and then all had to try to find a way home, which is always an adventure. Two people and myself opted for taking a cab, but it took forever to get one and we didn't end up home until around 4 or 4:30. The day after that I went to Oxford St to get a gift for secret santa and also I don't think I'd been there yet. It was SUPER busy, probably because it was a Saturday and because it was 2 weeks before Christmas. Later that night was the Christmas party at the house. It was really nice to get everyone together again one last time and sort of say our goodbyes to each other and London.
Sunday my room decided to have a group dinner of sorts. It was delicious and really great to just sit around and talk and eat together, something I don't think the four of us had ever done. Monday morning two of my roommates left, leaving just Kat and I. We went out for a traditional English breakfast (eggs, sauasage, beans, tomatoes, toast, and tea). We spent the majority of the day packing and then went out for a pint and dinner at a pub in Soho with Jen. I had bangers and mash (sausage and mashed potatoes) for the first time. After dinner we went back to Oxford St for some last minute shopping.
Tuesday morning Kat Jen and I went out for some coffee before heading off to the airport. Unfortunately the 3 block walk to the tube stop was ridiculously challenging as my giant suitcase's wheel was broken. It was not a fun journey. After the tube ride, Kat and I went to our separate terminals and started the long journey home.

Looking back on London, I realize what an incredible opportunity I was given. Living in London was SO different from living in Rhinelander or Appleton, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world. I really feel like in the past three months I've grown as a person; I've become more independent and more open to new experiences, and I cannot wait to make it back there again!

QPR, Bon Iver, and a Night O' Drag

Over the weekend I hung out with a few people from the house; we went to a party with a bunch of Imperial College Students, the college I go to for Amnesty and Film Soc meetings.

Also over the weekend was the football match. It was so much fun!

It was the Queens Park Rangers, our team, and the Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was so cool to see the frantic energy of the fans and to see the nation's favorite pastime in person.

Some of the guys from the house got pretty into it:

On Sunday I went to the Bon Iver concert! They were so AMAZING! And our group met up with Mike Noyce, the guy from Lawrence who's in the band, and went for a pint at a local pub before he had to jet off back to the States.

Monday was the last play of the term: Wig Out! It was really interesting and fun; it was about two rival drag queen gangs and a Sinderella ball.

Some people from the house decided to also dress in drag...

Christmas time in London

So, this week we went to what I think has been my favorite play all term, August: Osage County. The story was really interesting, the acting was amazing, and it managed to be hilarious as well moving and thought provoking. I was very impressed.
After the play Kat, Jen, and I went out to a pub for a little bit, The Princess of Wales.
Wednesday we went back to the Imperial War Museum, this time to look at the holocust exhibit. It was very informative and very heartbreaking.
Thursday I went to the tree lighting ceremony in Trafalgar Square. It was nice to walk around and see all the Christmasy stuff going on all around. Afterwards, we had a tree trimming party at the house, and we all made decorations for the tree.

Later that night Colleen, Ashley, Kat, and I went to a club in Shoreditch that was pretty fun, but extremely expensive. I bought a mixed drink for £6, about $10!
Yesterday I went to Camden Town again for some Christmas shopping.
After that I finally got to see Westminster Abbey, which is absolutely gorgeous. I was also there for the evening service and got to hear the chorus sing; they were so good!

Later Kat, Colleen and I walked around the Christmas market in Southbank. I love that there are so many cool Chirstmas things going on in London, but it would be much better if there was snow here!

Stonehenge/Transport Mueseum

I've been back from my trip for about 2 and 1/2 weeks now, so I guess it's about time for another post.

Well, the first week back after break was rather uneventful. I was tired from so much travel, and I had to write a paper the week I got back. Not fun. The only thing I did really was the weekly play, which was a modern adaptation of Othello.

That weekend the whole house took a trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge. We spent some time at Stonehenge, then spent the day wandering around Salisbury, then finished with another play, A Month in the Country.

Last week was Thanksgiving; we had a massive dinner with the whole house, plus guests. I think there were about 40 of us all together. It was really wonderful.

That Friday my Anthro class took a trip to Cambridge. The town itself was really neat, and then looking at all the building of the universities was really cool as well.

Over the weekend Kat and I went to Covent Garden, which is a cool are with markets, shops, and street performers. While there, we also went to the London Transport Museum, which was a really neat, interactive mueseum that look at the history of trains and the tube, mostly.