Day 11- From South Bend to South Bank- Reflections on the week

I know that I have been dreadfully behind on posting lately. It's gotten very busy here this first week. I can't believe how much we do each day. It's always go, go, go-- which is great-- but also time-consuming. After class or trips until 5 p.m. every day, and after making and eating dinner, it seems that the hours just slip away. I spent about 3 hours the other evening planning and booking trips. So far, I'll officially be going to Edinburgh, Barcelona, Venice, and Paris. Dublin is in the works. I'm very excited for all of these, but I've also been happy to get to explore London and England recently.

Yesterday, I took a day trip to Oxford with about 60 or 70 other ND students. Our rector Jaime was a student at Oxford during his undergrad years, so he was a wonderful tour guide. Oxford University is the oldest English-language college in the world, and it's been home to many, many great thinkers, including Lewis Carroll! He explained how students apply directly to particular colleges rather than the "university proper." Once accepted, their college becomes their home. Each college has its own dormitories, dining hall, bar, chapel, library, and common rooms. They are huge, sprawling areas. One college even had its own deer park. So, they're kind of like Notre Dame, I guess, but on a much grander (and a bit quirkier) scale. I'm not sure I would ever leave my college (especially in the winter!) if it had all of the resources Oxford colleges do. 

I also got to see Christ College's Great Hall and Cathedral. Christ College's Great Hall was the inspiration for the Great Hall in the Harry Potter movies and the staircase leading up to the Great Hall at Oxford was actually used in the shooting of Harry Potter. So, nerdiness aside, I was very excited to stand on the very staircase used to welcome students to Hogwarts.

It has been terribly, terribly cold here (so cold that I've already had to buy some sweaters (or jumpers, as they say here) and snow boots). It's no colder than Chicago or South Bend, of course, but it feels just as cold when we are walking outside all day. It's tough because I know the days are just slipping away and I want to fit in all the siteseeing and exploring that I can, but I also know that being outside for 3 plus hours in the snow is not good, either. So this weekend, I'm trying to do a little compromising by staying more indoors today (we'll see though-- I often intend to stay in and get work done, but wind up going out. It just feels so wrong to ignore London!) On Friday, we spent the morning at the National Army Museum and in the afternoon, we walked around the legal district. Both were neat trips, but the legal district would have been much, much better if it hadn't been 2 straight hours in the snow. My roommates and I were pretty certain our toes and fingers were going to fall off. It was a bit disappointing it was so cold because there were many interesting sites on the tour. I saw the last building in which Shakespeare performed and the fountain that Charles Dickens talks about in one of his books. I also saw a building that said "Charles Dickens lived here." For me, this is one of the coolest things about being in London. You can walk down any street and see signs telling you which historic person lived there. On my walk to class the first day, I passed by a "Rudyard Kipling lived here" sign. Every time I see one of these, I'm reminded how great it is to be living in such an old and rich city. I'm not sure I'll ever be tired of this sort of thing.

Classes have been great. I think I love my two psychology courses most, which is a good sign for my major, I guess! Social and Cognitive Development seems great and my professor is amazing. She seems very laid-back and friendly, and she introduced herself as having "an assortment of children." I am absolutely in love with the speech and phrasing used here. My class is essentially about children ages 0 (or "naught" as my professor says) until 6. I'm going to love it. I've already gotten to talk about my cousins as examples!

I also really love my Developmental Disabilities course. Each week, a group of 11 of us take the train about 45 minutes from where we're living to a school for children with autism spectrum disorder. We are each assigned to a classroom and we'll be working with the children there every week. I am in a class of about 8 children and I love them already. They are so sweet and caring and I can't wait to be back there next week. This week, we made boats with the help of a woman from a nearby picture gallery. Consequently, the boats were brilliant and a craft that I never could have thought up. They all looked so beautiful and crafty. And, as you all know, my craft skills and patience for making art projects is very limited. This project was a highlight of my week, which says a lot. I feel like one of the little kids I'm working with, but I really hope I'll get to take mine home so I can take a picture!

I need to go work on my homework. Unfortunately, I do have some even though there's so much to do here in London. But this will undoubtedly be a life-changing semester for me. It's already forced me to become a bit more spontaneous and "go with the flow." Which I know is a good thing. But, regardless, I've already put my work off all week, so I'll leave with a couple notes.

Things I will appreciate more upon returning to the States:
-Notre Dame dining halls
-Ziploc baggies
-Microwavable popcorn

Cheers!
Carrie

Trafalgar Square- the center of London. It is literally 2 minutes from my class building. I walk through it every day. I took this on my second day of classes-- the first time I walked from Conway to the London Centre alone. It was a great feeling to walk by myself. I felt like a true Londoner (as long as I didn't speak!)

Trafalgar again-- this was before the snow hit.

My first attempt at cooking a real meal. I made Mom's Cajun chicken, rice, and sausage recipe. Unfortunately, though, I misinterpreted the directions and used far too much cayenne pepper. My mouth was on fire! And, trying to think ahead, I had made a full batch to freeze and eat later. It did smell good, I was told by multiple people, though! I was able to redeem it this week by getting tortillas and sour cream and crafting a burrito. So Mom, maybe you could add that idea to your leftovers recipe :) I still have one more meal to go out of this.

My first Tube ride. My roommate, Mary, and I visited on her birthday-- a spur of the moment type of trip after classes. But more on the Tube later. I love it so much that it will probably be a separate post.

Harrods in Knightsbridge

Only one of the many, many candy displays in Harrods.

This is for you, Joe! This was in Toy Land at Harrods. Unfortunately, though, Patrick, there was no Buzz :(

Harrods giant teddy bear. Fun fact: A.A. Milne purchased the teddy bear that inspired Winnie the Pooh at Harrods.

A Humped Zebra Crossing. Saw this on the way back to the train from Drumbeat School. Contrary to my initial beliefs, the "humped zebra" is not an exotic British creature. It refers to the zig-zag crosswalk and the speed bump it is painted over.

Mug from Harrods

Other side of Harrods mug

Chocolates I splurged on at Harrods. The music note one was mocha cappuccino. The other is vanilla cream.

Strawberry tart from a bakery on South Bank. Kelley and I split this as part of Mary's birthday dessert outing.

South Bank in the snow. (More snow that Chicago over winter break!) South Bank is a huge cultural centre that houses the National Theatre, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Film Institute, and the Festival Hall. Consequently, the area is always bustling. It makes me feel like I'm in Chicago. I pass through here each day to head to class. There seems to be constant construction here because festivals take place year-round and artists come to change the displays, etc. There are many little shops and cafes here and every weekend, the Real Food Market takes up a street. We passed through this weekend, but it was cold and many of the items were topped with snow. Our AR tells us that each month, one weekend is devoted to one particular food. Last month, it was chocolate. Hopefully, that theme will be recycled before May.

Latte from News Cafe in Oxford. I love that it came in a glass mug. It felt extra sophisticated! Also, coffee here seems less strong than in the States-- which is great for me because I like my coffee to be more milk than coffee. (But Dad, you probably wouldn't like it much)

My roommate Elizabeth and me at Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, a pub that was burnt down in the Great Fire, but rebuilt in 1667. It is extremely old and full of low-ceilinged interconnecting rooms. We were basically in a cellar. It is an extremely neat atmosphere. Sort of brings to mind some Poe-type stories. (I believe there was a barrel labeled Amontillado on a shelf). Pubs are fun because they are very laid-back and casual-- no need to get dressed up or drunk to have fun. It's really more of a social atmosphere. Most pubs close before 11, also.

Sign in front of the pub.

Walking over Waterloo Bridge last night. This blurry picture hardly does the skyline justice. I will never tire of seeing Big Ben and the London Eye.

Christ field in Oxford. Full of snow. Very Harry Potter-esque.

This is the gate that graduates of Oxford walk through following their final exams (students at Oxford are only examined officially in their very last year. This culminates ALL of their studies.) When they pass their exams, they are given a red carnation for their lapel, similar to the red carnations on the gate. When they walk through, they are greeted by their friends throwing glitter, confetti, and champagne on them. This part sounded neat and somewhat desirable. Then, Jaime when on and told us that once students round the street corner, they are bombarded with eggs, flour, and tomatoes, etc. So, maybe I'll be okay with a normal American graduation :)

Deer running through Christ field. Maybe they're from the deer park!

Staircase leading to Christ College's Great Hall. In the Harry Potter movies!!!

My roommate Molly on our Christ College tour

Molly in the Great Hall. This Hall inspired Harry Potter's Great Hall.

For you, Mom: Bagpipe player in Oxford, on the street. Made me feel like I was at ND with the Bagpipe Band marching by. It was interesting to be on the streets in Oxford because it was a great mix of old and modern. (But that seems to the be the case for all of London).