Day Seventy Three: Writing

While I have a lot of essay's and research papers to do, I cannot stop writing this creative writing story I began earlier today. I started it to get in the mood to write but I could not stop writing it. Other then grocery shopping that's about all I did. Here you have have a bit of what I wrote because it's all I have to offer from today:

My eyes began to close, it was close to nap time. Outside the trees were rustled by a strong wind. I watched as the branches bowed, and as the baby trees below almost snapped in half. No, that was not right, the wind was not that aggressive. Was that a shadow, or a shape? It was too fast to be anything other than the wind. It growled like the wind, so it must be the wind.

He was standing outside my window, behind him dark and massive shapes rocked in the woods. They were not the trees, but I could not make their shape. His glare was just as it had been earlier that day. It was warning me that I should get away as fast as possible. His gaze burnt into my own until I had to look away. I knew I should not be here and he was telling me the same. His stiff posture and his cold face, it was a sign from this whole world that I did not belong and that I should leave before I would not have the option. I lowered my eyes and even though I was no longer looking at him, I knew that his glare had not changed, but somehow he, himself, had. Now standing in his place was a great wolf. Time was telling me that it was almost too late for me to leave before I got sucked into a world that I was not prepared for. A chill wet my back and I fought against the force pulling me towards its now open jaws.

“Emma! Emma, come in the kitchen it is time for dinner!”

Day Seventy Two: Such a gooood day

First of all I slept forever, but not so long that there was not time to do anything with my day. Also, I worked on my paper today. Which was a good start, I may not finish it tonight but wait until tomorrow. I am not really in the finish writing paper mood right now, haha. Too happy.

Today Allie let me play her sims 3 and it was a lot of fun! I cannot wait to have it! It will be excellent! Also, her and I watched New Moon... and we had lots and lots of fun making fun of it. I am pretty sure I am team Jacob, but I am still Harry Potter 100% 100% 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! Just to through that out there.

Uh, she made a really good mac and cheese for dinner, and it was excellent.

Yep thats all I have to say, haha. Oh my wall paper background is now a really cute puppy. Wow... I am lame, hahahahahaha.

Tomorrow I am allegedly going into London with Allie for the day. More then!

Day Seventy One: = )

Today, I took a day off. I think I deserved it after my last couple of busy... weeks, haha.

peace.

Oh I did finally get around to the pumpkin scone mix. Allie and I made them today, and they were delicious.

Day Seventy: My Endless Walking is Paying off!

PICTURE: I just thought you guys might want to see what my face looked like after I ran to the Parliament from Waterloo. hahahaha, great times.

It was a busy day, actually... It has been a busy week, as you can see. Today I woke up for class, and it was very hard. I was still sluggish from all the food from Thanksgiving. In fact when I went to eat breakfast I was still full! haha, oh man so wonderful.

In my creative writing class, I had read out one of my pieces. It was fun, and everyone seemed to like what I wrote which was happy. Also, they give me really good comments to help me work on my writing. Which I love by the way.

After class I had to run home and eat a quick lunch because I thought I had an hour before I had to get on a train to get into central London. However, it turned out that I had two hours, so after I ate lunch and got my package from the post office I relaxed for a little. THANK YOU AUNT SANDY FOR THE PACKAGE! Everyone gets really excited for the candy, my landlady including! I relaxed too much however which forced me to rush again.

I ran out of my flat to realize I had forgotten my paper that would let me go into the Parliament, which is where I was headed. I was supposed to go to the Globe in the morning but, class was kind of mandatory and I really enjoy this class so I opted out of the Globe. Because I had to go back to my flat to get my paper, I missed the train by milliseconds. The doors closed as i put my hand on it, that is how close I was. I had to wait 20 minutes for the next train, but this also meant that I would have 10 minutes to get from Waterloo station to the entrance of Parliament that I needed to get too. I paced back and forth as I waited for the train because I was so anxious about missing my chance to get into the Parliament. I have been waiting all semester for this trip.

The train came but it took about 6 minutes longer than usual, because it randomly kept slowing down where there was no station. I walked all the way to the first carriage and as the doors opened I was off. I pulled out my ticket that would let me out the gate and began walking really really fast. As soon as I got through the gate I began running. I ran all through the station and around all the commuters. I ran over the bridge to the other side of the road, all the way down the stairs the park to the London Eye, the tourist filled walkway in front of the aquarium and film museum and across the bridge goes of the the Thames River. Down the road by the Big Ben and onto Victoria Street, past 1/2 of the Parliament building and to the guards. In all its about 1 mile, maybe more and I ran it in less than 10 minutes with my sleek winter coat, jeans, purse and hat. Good news, I did not loose my pants, on the train I tightened my belt to the last notch so I could run freely. As I got to the guards, still running, I whipped out my paper and they waved me by, stopping a guard further on from stopping me. When I got to security they stopped me to take my picture to enter the actual Parliament building. I stopped behind my tutor (professor) and as far as he knew I had be directly behind him the whole time. It was amazing.

Parliament was amazing. The history that has built up in this place, from Henry the Eighth to the current royal family. We were not able to take pictures, so you will have to believe me how incredible the roofs were. The ceiling were elaborately decorated with symbols of the United Kingdom. Symbols that represented Wales, Scotland, England and Norther Ireland. There was painted gold on most surfaces. We saw where they held execution trials, were the only British Prime Minister who was ever assassinated was shot, where women strapped themselves to statues to get the vote, were the Queen walks when she visits the Parliament once a year. We saw were the House of Lords and the House of Commons meets. The Queens actual throne made of 23k gold. Where Prince Charles sits when he visits. Which rooms were blasted by German Bombs during The Blitz. Basically everything, our tour guide was really informed and he informed us really well. The group I was with was really fun too because we felt comfortable asking a lot of questions and it got us a lot of information.

We learned how they vote for things, which is a really interesting process. The are basically required to vote with their party, two of which are the Labor and the Conservative. They have people called the Whips who actually will act out physically to make sure that all members of a party vote the same answer as the rest of their party. That is such a bizarre idea. Also, they do votes physically, so there is no secret who is voting for what. They have the option to walk through two different doors, the 'no' door or the 'aye' door. Then they are counted this way. There can be no possible mistake. They also publish books of the votes, so the public will always know exactly who voted for what. I think there are some good ideas and some very strange ones, but with my imagination I easily saw some very dramatic situations that could ensue from the voting process.

Also, they have two boxes where the members are required to swear an oath to the Queen every year. The tour guide had me place my hands on the very box full of religious texts that the government officials used. I put my hands on the very surface that Churchill did when he was Prime Minister and involved with the Parliament. It was really incredible. Every room was so beautiful. I am sooooo glad I ran as fast as I did so I could make it.

<3 you!

Day Sixty Nine: Happy Thanksgiving!

PICTURES: 1) Tom Felton who is Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter was in Kingston, but sadly I did not see him. 2) A hand turkey in celebration of this great feasting day! (http://www. blogadilla.com /wp-content/ uploads/2007/ 11/hand-turkey .jpg)

This is a really great day! Busy with classes, got another presentation and some schoolwork out of the way. After busy, busy class time I ran home to make an apple pie from scratch. Oh boy.

So basically I did not have real recipe, so I kind of made it up as I went along. I started the crust, with flour, salt, butter and water. Then I worked on the apples with the apples, sugar and cinnamon. Then I kind of made it up as I went along, it was a lot of fun. I ended up being covered in flour, much like the rest of the kitchen. However I did hit a snag. By no ones fault but my own, I ended up turning my whole pie face flat on the kitchen floor. It was like slow motion, and all I could do was laugh. Erin was very apologetic, apparently she thinks it is her fault. Its not! Don't worry! It's mine! But yeah, I laughed and then began making pie number two an hour before we had to be on location for out THANKSGIVING DINNER.

The second pie, not to toot my own horn, was amazing! Though at one point it did have me saying, "when did I get so domestic!" The second pie, do to my rush ended up having a very thick crust, it was not flaky but more like ... a soft cookie? That tasted like apple pie crust? There were not many apples left for the inside and they did not cook very long, but it became like a filling between the pie crust much like an apple tart in nature, but the apples were still tangy. It was delicious, and I can never make it again, because there was no recipe.

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. I got to see all my friends and sit a a table with the coolest kids ever. We were from all over the US: west coast, east coast and the mid-west. We had a great time filling out what we were thankful for on post-its and reading them too each other. They were really nice and sweet comments. It was so loud being surrounded by American's in a social context for a very long time. It was not overwhelming, it was home, haha. European's are so quiet. It was a lot of fun, and really filling. The people at my table, my friends, are such good cooks. We were provided the turkey, ham and mashed potatoes. We provided green bean casserole, rolls, biscuits, homemade cranberry sauce (!!!), stuffing, apple pie (mine), pumpkin pie, cookies, oh man... I cannot even remember there was so much. We were very full by the end of it, and very happy.

I am not ready to leave anymore. I am scared to leave, because it will be so hard to come back, financially. Philipa told me I am always welcome to come back and they would keep me in their home. It's weird that this place I have called my home for the last almost 3 months is going to be the hardest place to get to once I leave. It has been the place I ran to after long journeys, when I was homesick, when I needed a break from the stresses of being how I am. It's weird.

ALSO, a friend of mine met Tom Felton! Aka: Draco Malfoy. Apparently he was in the Wagamama's (chain restaurant) here in Kingston. I wonder what brought him here, haha. I am really jealous, but still I have never been so close to a Harry Potter star before! His picture is above ^

<3 you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Day Sixty Eight: LE MIS!

PICTURE: This is an image from the musical, you can see how artist it set-up was. It is beautiful. Also it is the longest running musical in the world! (http://www. delfon tmackintosh. co.uk/images /uploaded /AugLes Mis1.JPG).

Well, I am tired. It is almost 1:30 here, or at least it will be when I get done with the entry. Today I finally got my plans down for the next three weekends. This weekend on Saturday I am going back into Wales, Cardiff to be exact. The following weekend I am going to Ireland and the weekend after that I convinced Allie to go with me to Paris! So, I am going to be busy up until I go home. This also means I am going to have to do a lot of work on the weekdays, so I am going to be very busy. However, I can go this so, wish me luck. Also, I will play anyone 10 bucks for every 300 words of the papers I have to write. Any takers?

After that, we had class, which was fun and then we spontaneously went into the theater district of London to see a musical. We did not have any plans so we tried Phantom first but the tickets were expensive. We ended up at Le Mis and it was so so so so so great! The way they set up the scenes were like live action paintings from the french revolution, it was beautiful. So beautiful, the scenes were dark and misty. The singing was powerful and the acting was heartfelt. I loved every minute and every talented person on the stage. It was nice to finally see the songs I have been singing for so many years in their natural habitat. I can finally connect all the songs together and understand the meaning behind all the lyrics. It really changed my perspective of the music, you should watch me sing it now! Seeing this musical was a great evening to a great day.

I am going to be tired when I make it home in three and a half weeks, but it will be well worth it. I apologize for the long sleeps and grumpy-ness that will ensue when I get home, haha. I realized today that I am not ready to go home and I really love it here. I love how easy it is to travel and to take a train into London to see a musical. I love how you can talk to someone and they can be from all over the world. In one day I can talk to americans, danish, russian, french and italians. It's really incredible. I am sad that I have just adjusted, and I can firmly say that I must come back. A few of my friends will be coming for their masters, so I am going to have to come and visit them. Maybe, I can get my act together and work for the National Gallery for a few years/months.

Who. Knows.

<3 you all lots and lots!

Day Sixty Seven: Back to Class.........

Today went back into the academic mode. I have a lot of work to get done in a little amount of time. From now until the end of the year I have to accomplish a 2,500 word essay, 1000 word essay, 800 word essay, 1500 word essay, 1,500 word essay, one more presentation, redraft a semesters worth of journal writing, 250 word critical analysis, redraft 2 750 word pieces, around 100 pages of reading, responses and exercises, and a final portfolio. I believe that is all, and that does not count what I will be assigned in the upcoming classes. To summarize: a total of 9,050 words, plus reading, redrafting, exercises, portfolio in 3.5 weeks. Wow... damn, that just hit me.

Okay, so I am going to stop messing around online and get to work. Today, I did get one presentation out of the way, which makes me feel better. On Thursday I will have the second presentation out of the way. I have finished everything for that one, so it is nothing I have to worry about now. Oh man, schoolwork.

Yeah, I did work on my presentations all day, so I really don't have anything else to say. I do have to make an apple pie for a Thanksgiving dinner. I also have to help make cake-art for a centerpiece. Also, this sat I am going to Wales. I cannot wait to come home so I can have a break from all this traveling and international schoolwork. Hahaha!

<3 you all!

OH also, I do want to make a new backdrop, but my photoshop stopped working, so I cannot make an awesome one. I am going to revert back to an old one for a change up. Hope that's fine.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention, because it makes me sad, that I lost my hat. My favorite wool hat that I got from the craft show in Cooperstown. As far as I know it is somewhere between here and Amsterdam. I have no way to get it back. I still hope that I may stumble on it in my room, but I have looked. Maybe I am looking over it. This is sad news folks.

Day Twenty Three - Twenty Six: Amsterdam, following entry rated PG-13

PICTURES: 1) The seaside town. 2) One of the canals in Amsterdam. 3) The flat land of Europe. 4) The seaside town.

The DAY TWO entry is not suitable for youngsters, due to the habits of Amsterdam, haha. However, One and Three are fine, Enjoy!

DAY ONE:
I woke up at 5:30 to catch a train. 30 minute train ride, 2 hour bus ride, 2 hour ferry ride (in which i got really seasick, so my aspirations to be a pirate are over), 3 hour bus ride and we made our first real stop in Belgium. There we were able to get dinner. I had a legit Belgium Waffle and their dinner of french fries. It was great, unhealthy but I figured it was okay because it was my first meal since breakfast at 7. Basically I was really excited. I bought some Belgium chocolate to bring home as well. Then I believe it was a 3 hour ride to our final destination. Our hotel was a four star beauty and with my tired exhaustion I took a long shower and fell into bed. That was day one, basically traveling and watching movies. On the bus we watched a lot of movies; Big Daddy, The Hangover and others that I cannot remember any more. We ended up watching 4 movies.

DAY TWO:
I woke up at 8:30 because we were going to a seaside town in Holland. It was called Volendam. It was beautiful. It was early so the mist from the sea was still hovering over the town giving it a haunted feeling. The sun was pushing its way through the misted covering. While we were there the sun came out and open up the sea to a point. In the edges of the cloud sailboats floated by and herons were flocking around the shore. It was full of quaint shops, fishing ships and little Danish homes. I loved it there, it was really nice. We went back to Amsterdam and our tour guide took us on a small tour through Amsterdam. The very first place he took us was the red light district, where the prostitutes. It was a very interesting concept and it became even more so due to the great views of the city. Amsterdam may possible be the most gorgeous city I have ever been too. With its old historical homes, buildings, random mini castles and canals the place was a fairy land. If you walk down the alleyways with red lights in them that is where the prostitutes are. Because it is legal, they are required to have check up ever two months and they have to hold passports from the Netherlands. It is a very strict business, and very bizarre. Not to mention that every corner you walk around the smell of weed is strong in the air, making you dizzy whether or not you partake (which I did not). They have cafes for people to go in and behind the counter all types of pot for the costumers to choose from, it was so weird seeing people being able to drink marijuana tea and knowing that they would never get in trouble for it here. A lot of the locals you could pick out easy, with their long, unwashed hair and vacant expressions. Other than a constant source of income for a country who really needs that support, I am not certain legalized pot is a good thing for the locals. However, it seems like the prostitution is not hurting anyone, they are constantly checking on and making sure their girls are healthy. After our tour, me and my new friends went to the Anne Frank house. I did not know she had lived in Amsterdam until I got there. Her house put such a real note on the Holocaust, it was sobering and inspirational. I truly enjoyed the house. They kept it as it had been, in every way. The pictures that Anne had glued to the walls were still pasted in her room. The lines that marked the progressive height of the children were still drawn on the wall. Otto, the father and only survivor of the family, did not want them to put the furniture back in the house. I found that decision to be very symbolic and very right. I actually loved the bare rooms, it really emphasized the situation in its somber light. After that we just walked around the beautiful city. I got pizza, made some new friends and saw the city at night. It was a lot of fun and I am very happy to add this city to my list of places I have been.

DAY THREE:
We woke up at 8:30 so we could get breakfast before we loaded the bags onto the bus. We were not leaving until 12, so until then, we found a park. We played on the playground like we were five again and it was a lot, lot of fun! They had lots of different slides and bridges and sheep! It then led into a park which was very scenic and it was nice to be in the fresh air before our forever bus ride. Once we started traveling at 12, I did not make it to my home on 11 Queens Road until midnight. It was a lot of traveling. I got seasick again. We also stopped at a chocolate store in Belgium and I bought nearly 20 euros of Chocolate. It's a lot of chocolate. I did buy myself a chocolate moose. It is literally a chocolate in the shape of a moose, and I do not know if I will ever be able to eat it. haha!

TODAY:
I slept in forever, and then I went to work on a school presentation for the second official meeting. We are presenting tomorrow, yippee! So, that should go over nicely. I tried to get organized a bit, but I have a lot more do to. This coming weekend I may go to Wales. Also there is a change of plans and rather than Paris I may go to Ireland instead, which I like a lot better!

<3

Day Sixty Two: Hmm

I love the kids in my creative writing class! I didn't have to present! I have to wake up at 5:30 to go to Amsterdam and I haven't been able to sleep in two days. Awesome.

Talk you all when I get home from Amsterdam, on Monday.

Day Sixty Five: Billy Elliot!

PICTURE: This is not the kid I saw, but this scene was really great. That is the police picket line from the strike and Billy Elliot kept dancing in front of them and fought against their shields at the same time. It was really moving. (http://blog. livedesignonline. com/liveblog/wp- content/uploads /2009/05/ billyelliot_wideweb __470x3040 jpg.jpeg)

Average day of group projects and hilarious British Life and Culture class. Oh we had a pop presentation in that class, and I decided to wing it. I ended up talking about a boy in Canada who went hunting and got stuck on a chunk of ice with a mama polar bear and her two babies. He ended up having to shoot the mama polar bear so it didn't eat him. There you have it ladies and gentlemen, my presentation... you're right I am good at spontaneously coming up with things to say. It's a good thing I read the newspaper right before class.

After years of watching Billy Elliot alone in my room, I was finally about to see it on stage! Not only that but on a British Stage as well! For those who don't know the plot of Billy Elliot it is about a boy who grows up during the coal mining strike in Wales. He wants to be a dancer, but his father and brother are very anti their son/brother becoming a ballerina dancer for all the reasons you would guess. He ends up getting the support of his father and other coal miners in his town because it becomes his chance to get out of that dying industry. He auditions for the Royal Academy of Ballet and if you want to know if he gets in read the book, rent the movie or best of all get you butts to Broadway and watch it on stage.

It was incredible, the kids were so very talented. At first I was comparing it to the movie, which comes without the great songs written by Elton John, and that was a bad thing to do. Once I stopped the comparison in my head I saw it for the talented children that were acting, dancing and singing their hearts out. My favorite part was during the audition interview scene the little boy actor, he is about 11ish, who was playing Billy Elliot did this incredible dance number. He was doing back flips and twists threw the air. He ran up a wall and flipped over backwards. The kid was dancing from his very heart and it showed. When he finished the crowd went ballistic and we all screamed and hollered for his performance. The cheering did not die down fast either and as he stood with both arms in the air he broke character. His face lit up and he laughed, he was clearly not expecting our reaction. He looked at the man who was playing his father and just had the biggest smile on his face. It made the cheering grow to enormous proportions, and that kid was so happy. It was the most genuine and brillant scene I had ever witnessed. The excitement that kid must have felt for being on the London stage and then being about to go home and say I am really good and the people really like me. Oh, I am proud of him and I do not even know him.

Also, the play ended with coal miners doing a tap dance, so you know it was a great show. What a terrific evening. My friend Ruthie and I want to go to either Le Mis or The Phantom of the Opera next Wednesday.

Love You All!

Day Sixty Four: Designers Help the World

First of all I cannot stop watching Male Prima Donna made by The Office. Kelly, Erin, Andy and Ryan sing it and it's awesome and funny and I love it lots! Thank you Cora for bringing into my life, repetitively! hahahahaha, love it.

I slept longer than I wanted to today, back into my old tricks apparently. Or maybe my body is just realizing that it is not going to relax this weekend because it will be trudging around AMSTERDAM! This will be very good times.

In class I learned how I can help the world as a designer. I never thought about it like this before, but as I tell anyone who asks everything is designed. I usually mean it in I can find a job when I graduate, and buddies, I really can. The system for families visiting their relatives in jails is designed. The system for fair trade is designed. I could go into rural areas in India and teach them how to organize and run their artisan business. This is an awesome idea, and maybe I will start looking into this instead of the Peace Corp. Side note: The oldest person that has joined the Peace Corp was 86 years old! Anyway, who knows where I will end up next fall. For the first time in my life I have no idea what I will be doing in a year. Usually I could just say, Oh I am going back to school. So this will be weird, I think.

For dinner I made a hamburger, chips (big french fries, and yes I cut my own potatoes), and a salad. I am getting awesome at this cooking thing, because I kind of had fun making it! It was very yummy.

For the rest of the night, I am going to work on my presentation.

Also, I got two packages from home. Thanks Mom and Dad. Philipa says thanks for the chocolate. We had a postal strike, so one of the packages was held back a little bit, but I did get them both today.

<3

Day Sixty Three: FOOD!

This morning we worked on a group project and it went really well. This is of course minus the fact that one of our group members failed to show up. I am going to report on the history on consumption, which will be fine for me. I think I can most certainly handle it.

After the meeting Allie and I went into Kingston and went window shopping and then actual shopping. We had a pastry for lunch and then walked around the German market which comes every Christmas. There was a really beautiful amber necklace for 28 pounds and I really want it, but I did not get it. My guilt complex on spending money, someone tell me if I should buy it. Thanks! Also, we went into Primark, which is a cheap clothing store. I left my only belt in Norway, so I had to buy another one. I got a new belt for 1 pound! Also I got a hat, leggings, post earrings and all for under 9 pounds. That's a great shopping day.

I also finally went grocery shopping, so I have a lot of food to eat, opposed to the food I didn't have. So, that will be awesome, that I can eat something besides Chinese and cereal.

I had a great weekend I think. Relaxing, sleeping, writing, buying food and clothes and... yeah relaxing. I have a busy two weeks coming up with presentation and essays. Also, I am going to Amsterdam this weekend so, that will make things more difficult but I am really excited. Kat and I are making plans to go to France the weekend of December 5th, and I think that I will be done with traveling for my life in England.

<3

UPDATE: After a delicious meal of duck prepared by Allie I ended up buying 5 pounds of Oreos.... hahahahahah!

Day Sixy Two: Schoolwork

I did schoolwork. Also contemplated joining the Peace Corps.

What an awesome day. haha!

Day Sixty One: Cleaning

I always feel better when I clean. Today I cleaned the whole flat with the vacuum, did laundry, made my bed with fresh sheets, organized drawers, clothes and eventually I'll organize my schoolwork, washed dishes, took a very hot and long shower, hmmm, I know that I did more but I cannot remember. OH I practically killed one of my families on sims... so thats great. haha, I have never had such issues with sims.

There was an Office marathon on today as well so that was really happy. It was a very good day. I got to sleep in and relax and do everything that makes me feel less stressed. I think I will go to bed early tonight, and hopefully the exhaustion will be over forever. Or at least until the next trip.

Now, I am going to get a class of milk and eat Oreos which I bought today. Awesome.

<3

Day Sixty: Umbrella Day

Today was really wet and rainy so I used the nice big and long umbrella that Philipa had provided me with. I still got wet because it was raining so hard. It was ferociously windy as well.

This morning I had class, which was fun. I really enjoy the students that are in my creative writing class, as much as I hate the disorganized nature it is conducted in. After class I got some books for one of my group project, all art history books about consumption. Well they are not all about consumption, but they have bits in them. BTW if anyone had an opinion on consumption relating to art, email it to me. That would be awesome.

Then I spent the rest of the day relaxing. Relaxing because this weekend I will not be relaxing. I will be doing a lot of school work. I have lots of research, writing creatively and informatively and ... uh more. I cannot remember currently.

Yep, so that was basically my day, awesome. I enjoyed it!

Oh also, day sixty... guess that means I have been here 2 months?

Day Fifty Nine: Nowary and National

Okay let's do this:

NORWAY:

DAY ONE:
It was an very interesting travel experience. My walk to the train station was awesome. The train ride to the second train ride was smooth. The ride to the second train station was smoother, and then it got rough. First I could not find the bus station so I walked around the station block twice looking for the signs. When I found them, I ended up standing in line for nearly and hour. A man from Turkey kept me entertained by talking about politics, religion, the creation of the world, philosophy and the Matrix. Once I got on the bus I met another man I wished I never met. He was from Somalia. The night I spent in the Stanstead Airport was not a sleeping night. For the first time on purpose I managed to stay awake all night. I had a cup of coffee and a chocolate muffin to help. Also, I kept going on random walks to keep the blood pumping.

DAY TWO:
I got on the airplane, and made another new friend. She was a girl from Norway and is now my friend on facebook. I gave her a Hershey Bar, haha, so basically I am the best friend ever. I slept the whole hour and 35 minute flight and was really disorientated when I woke up. As I walked through the passport control, I was asked if I spoke Norwegian because I had a very Norwegian name. He asked in Norwegian and I understood, which was exciting! However, sadly I had to say no. Helene met me at the airport, later she told me she was very nervous, but I ran over and gave her a hug. I was excited to see any kind of family no matter how distant or no matter that I had never met her before. She had brought her friend Toni (that's how she pronounced her name, I don't know how to spell it). In the car we had a really good conversation, and then I fell asleep on them. We stopped a few times, because I was looking for a winter jacket and they were looking for... stuff? I did not find a winter jacket because they are very expensive in Norway. I saw a lot that I liked though, so now I know what I am after when I get my new one. We got lots of candy for the car ride, which I did not end up eating. I am not much of a candy person to begin with, but they also have salt candy in Norway. Yes... a sweet candy covered in salt. I tried it, I did not like it. Helene did buy me a drink called Yule Brus (I think that's how it is spelt) which is a drink that only comes out for Christmas. It tasted like orange soda, but not as sweet. I liked it. We went back to Helene's home and I got to take a shower and then we traveled back to Toni's home. There we had dinner, tacos, and I feel asleep on the couch as Helene and Toni got ready to go to a party. A Norwegian party is basically a High School dance where the whole town gets together. The only difference is that they only swing dance and that they also serve alcohol. It was fun watching them all, and listening to the live Norwegian band, but it was very late at night and I was too tired to physically participate. I was taken back to Helene's brother's home where I waited for them to pick up two more people after the party. Again, I feel asleep on his couch, but he soon woke me up to feed me pizza. He showed me a nifty trick of putting ketchup on your pizza, surprisingly delicious. Also, it is important to note that I did not starve in Norway.

DAY THREE:
After sleeping in a very cold room, we went back to Helene's home. I had slept with my sweatpants, two pairs of socks, two shirts, a cami, my long sleeve shirt, my sweater, my rain jacket, my wool hat and my gloves and I was very comfortable. Norwegian mattresses are really comfy, they were basically like giant foam pads, so I slept very well. After showering and eating at Helene's, we went to my 2nd Counsin's, which is Helene's grandmother, for a late lunch/early dinner. We slept for a very long time, around 1ish, and we had to be at her house by 2. She fed us stew, meatballs, chuchabur (I don't know how to spell it, but the little red berries), and very thin crackers. It was delicious, it tasted as if I was home. I was very happy. I could not really take part in the conversation, because I do not speak any Norwegian, but I was still very comfortable in their home. My 2nd cousin showed me pictures of her cabin up in northern Norway and allowed me to take the pictures, so I can show you all when I get home. She also gave me a few other gifts for myself and for my family, but I am not going to tell you because they are going to be surprises for my family when I get home. But I promise you will love it, they are really thoughtful and wonderful gifts. After lunch, we went to another relatives home, but I cannot remember how. Their house was beautiful. It was an old Norwegian home, but it was designed for a big family. It was very comforting. They had a little black dog whom I loved and I played with it a lot because I miss Ko. It was not the same as playing with Ko, but it was fun all the same. Here we had dessert and I met a lot more family. This family may come visit me here in London before I go home. I have to work that out still. I told them all about America, cause they asked, and about the Bergene family back home, because they did not know all the details. Next we went back to Helen's and just relaxed for awhile. We ate hot rolls and brown cheese for dinner and it was the greatest dinner ever.

DAY FOUR:
This was my last day in Norway. I was allowed to sleep in, and take a long shower and eat a slow breakfast. Then we headed off for a shopping day. Helene had to go to work, but I was left with my 2nd cousin and the relative that I cannot remember how they are related to me. I got a jacket with them, and I really like it. It's a stylish jacket and my family in Norway is so generous, it was the only thing I was allowed to buy while I was there. Helene also gave me some marsipan before I left her. Me and my 2nd cousin went to get my other relative and after some shopping we headed to my Great Aunt's. She was Grandpa Toby's sister and I was very excited to meet her. It turned out she was very excited to meet me as well. We had light sandwiches and although she could not speak English, my relative translated for us. It was great to hear the stories and talk to her about everyone. A lot more family came to meet me at her home and that was a lot of fun. I told them all about all of us back in the states and made them family trees so they know how many relatives they had. They were surprised that Grandma had been born in Norway, apparently they did not know that. I loved sharing stories and hearing stories. For example, Grandpa Toby called his sister the night before he died and spoke to her in Norwegian, but he had never spoke to her in Norwegian after he moved to America. I had a really excellent time. She gave me many gifts, many surprising gifts. Again I will share this when I get home. Though I did accumulate a lot of chocolate from them, which I am bringing back. On the plane I was very unhappy because I did not want to leave family. I read my book, but I kept thinking of my time in Norway. The trip back home was not so nice. I got stranded at a train station, and had to take an hour long bus ride back home. That was not fun, but I am resourceful now, haha.

OKAY, so that was my trip to Norway. It was a great experience and I am very happy to have reconnected with them. It was a surprise to me but Dad had been sending pictures to my Great Aunt and I used them to share about our family. We have a few more people to send Christmas Tours too! They also really want everyone to come and see them, and I promise you will have the best time.

NATIONAL THEATER: NATION:
Last night I was required to go to the National Theater to see a play for my British Life and Culture class. At first I was unhappy because I was still tired from my trip and I was very stressed by the amount of work I had to do still for this week and next week. However, me going was the best decision I have ever made. Not only did I get to see London at night again, which is my favorite thing to see in this country, but I also saw the greatest play I have ever seen. The first few minutes were startling for two reasons. 1) I have not seen any modern theater and 2) I had no idea what was going on and it started really fast. The play was not modern, but it did have modern elements. Plot: It was about two young people on individual journey's that have been brought together. The girl was on a ship that sunk and she was washed on a island. Her demons was the guilt she felt by her mother's death while giving birth to her little brother and them not being buried together. The boy was a native and he was on a quest to become a man when his whole tribe was killed, so there was no one left to tell him that he was a man. Also, he lost his faith in his people and his religion which was a problem he faced by the end. He ended up becoming the leader of the survivors and they made their own nation and she helped him. It was a great quest story and I am doing little justice to how well it was done. The acting was so believable, as was the story I felt it was very much real and that I was apart of it. At one point a gun was pulled on the boy and I squealed out loudly I was so terrified. The set was beautiful. The costumes were beautiful. The creative edge put into it was imaginative, clever and brilliant. It is based off a novel, a novel I am going to have to find. If I could I would go an watch it again. I loved every minute, say for the first few, of that play. And even now thinking back, I even love those first scenes because I understand how they fit into the play and how they play was set up for the audience. So yes, I loved every minute of that play. Brava.

TODAY:
Today, I was stressed because of school work. I did meet a girl going to New Paltz, so I gave her my email address if she had any questions. Also, I discovered that the British find the thought of Peanut Butter and Jelly to be a disgusting idea. Weird, right? That made me laugh, because they were talking about cheese and honey on toast, but peanut butter and jelly was gross. Funny. I saw all my English friends today too and that was very good for my social stress relief.

Fun stuff, LOVE YOU ALL! I hope you enjoyed my trip and adventures and stories!

Day Fifty Eight: BUSY

Okay... I have been horribly busy and I am sorry for my lack of communication. But tomorrow when a bulk of my work is/should be completed I will write about Norway and I will write about my theater trip tonight where i saw Nation. It was soooo excellent!

love you!

Day Fifty Two - Fifty Seven: I'll Tell You About NORWAY Tomorrow, sorry!

Okay, so I meant to post about Norway today, but I ran out of time. I also meant to email all my relatives, send snail mail addresses to Dad for him and Grandma, clean/organize my room, do laundry and go grocery shopping. Needless to say, Norway has not heard from me, my room's a mess, my clothes are dirty and i have no food. I have not even uploaded pictures of the Norwegian landscape, I was too busy to take pictures of anything else, yet. So, i cannot even share that with you.

The reason this is the case is because i spent the day trying to get all my school work done. I wrote 1,500 words of deep and creative writing. I met with a group, but we have no idea what we're doing... it is a very broad topic. I am meeting with another group for that group project tomorrow. I also have four more papers to write for different classes and all of them are very important for my grades. I only have five weeks left for this all to happen. Both the presentations are due next week though so that will be done.

I also have to fit in time for my newly discovered relatives to come and visit London. .... I dono whhhhat i am going to do at this point. Cause i still want to get to Autria, and Justine still wants to come here, so... dammit I am running out of time!


Oh also, i wanted to make a new header of the Norwegian landscape... busy times.

Love you all!

Day Fifty One: NORWAY TILL MONDAY!

So far I have spent the day packing, cause this weekend till Monday I am going NORWAY!

Tonight, around 7:30, I am going to take a train from Norbiton to Clapham Junction to Victoria Station. Then I am going to follow the signs to the bus station, which will take me to Stansted Airport in a bus ride that will be about 2 hours long. At that point I will spend the night in the airport, awesome, and take my plane at 6:30 am to Torp airpot in NORWAY! Helene is going to pick me up at the airport and then we have a 2-3 hour drive to her home. So basically I have a 14 hour travel time. I am going to be drinking a lot of coffee.

Talk to you all when I get back!

Day Fifty: National Gallery in London

PICTURES: Two pictures I took tonight of London. I think you can tell what they are! (Remember, if you click on them, they get bigger! haha)

I woke up and finished a little but of home and then quickly headed into London. I met up with Allie and her little sister Helen, who has come to visit. We met up in a little cafe just down the street and up another street from Trafalgar Square. It was nice just sitting there and feeling like a local, at the secluded cafe. We did meet a Canadian and some french speaking people sat next to you. I also believe our waitress was something like Hungarian. I had a tuna melt, with avocado in it. It was delicious. The three of us finished off the meal with a delicious cake. It was chocolate, and raspberry and something that was like cheese cake with chocolate shavings on top. It was delicious.

After that we went to the National Gallery. It was going to close at 6, and we got there 2 hours before that. It took me 2 hours to go through the 16th century rooms. I still have many many many rooms to get through. It was really great though, I really enjoyed looking at the paintings. By listening to those around me, I realized how much I know about art history, so that made me feel really good. I would laugh a little every time I saw a piece that I had studied back at good old Oneonta, it made me miss it.

It was a really great day, London at night is really the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It's my favorite part of living here. Taking the train into central London and then walking back through it at night. Looking up at the lit up Big Ben, London Eye and Parliament. The lights in the river. It's so great.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Day Forty Nine: Homework

I lied, I did not end up going to London today. I ended up doing a lot of homework, and I may be just about done. One more day should do the trick.

Also, my homework made me want to read Harry Potter!

UPDATE: I am going to need to get a winter jacket for Norway, IT'S SNOWING THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day Forty Eight: Day A Day of Homework

Today I was supposed to get a lot of work done today the accumulation of about 8,000 words. I did start at least one of the assignments and it is about 150 words away from completion, but I lost both my motivation and creativity. I needed a break so I stopped writing, hopefully I will be able to finish it tonight. I am thinking about going to go get some ice cream and then getting to work on the rest of my paper.

Though my flat is really cold. Hmm, I want Ice Cream.

I am going into London, so I will have more to say then!

<3

Day Forty Seven: Let me tell you about WALES

PICTURES: 1) This is the Caerphilly Castle. 2) This shows you guys how pretty everything is in Wales. 3) One of the houses from the Wale's Museum. 4) Me standing in an old Abbey which is located in the Wye Valley. 5) The old Roman Amphitheater. (THESE PICTURES ARE NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)

I hope you enjoy my new header in dedication towards my time in Wales!

DAY ONE: I woke up at 6:20am to meet up with my tour group at 7:15. I only had to go to the Penryhn Road campus so it was not to far of a walk. We stopped at several other campus' in the area to get more students and by the end we had picked up about 51 students who were going on the tour. It was about a three hour bus ride, and I slept basically the entire way. We arrived at the Roman Ruins first. They were really interesting, we learned that they would fit 8 men in what had to be a 7x7 square. Keep in mind that they are burly warriors. Those rooms had to be a mess. It was also nice to be in the real country air again, and the grass was so green, which you can see from my pictures. A few feet away was the Roman Amphitheater, which was huge. This is where they would do their gladiator fighting, battling with anything from other men to wild boars. They even fought with domesticated cows when they were exceptionally bored (I don't know about you but I can't really see excitement in that last bit... cows?)

We got back on the bus and next traveled to the Caerphilly Castle. It was huge and I was really excited when I walked down the path and then it was just there. I had been sleeping so I had no idea where we were going, haha. It was beautiful. We learned a horrific story about the royalty that used to live there. There was the King and Queen (I cannot remember which one) but the King had a favorite man. Apparently in this age favorite meant their lover, so the King had a gay lover. The Queen was not happy about it, and the favorite man was gotten rid of. It did not take long before the King found a new favorite man and the caused his wife to act against them in force, a battle of sorts. The King and his lover fled, leaving the lover's son to guard the treasure. The Queen won and told the son she would not kill him if he gave her the treasure. He gave her the treasure, she killed him. Later the King was killed as well, in a not so pleasant manor. Anyway, haha, the castle was really fun to run around. The pictures I took came out beautifully, those with a facebook can see them. It was in this town that I began to realize two things. 1) Welsh accents are fantastic and now it is my new favorite. 2) The Welsh people are really friendly people.

After the Castle we headed to the Welsh Museum, which was basically like a Farmer's Museum. They did have a row of houses showing the progression of the Welsh home from way back in the beginning to present day. I liked being there because it was like being at the Farmer's Museum or Williamsburg, only everyone was Welsh. The funny thing was how small all the doorways were in the old Welsh homes, I almost had to duck to get through them. If I did not duck I felt the top of the threshold brush my hair, so they were around 5 feet 5 inches tall, really short for a doorway. It was here I bought my Welsh gifts. It was also here that I realized I had left my debit card in Kingston, haha. Luckily my friend Ruth helped me pay for my food, also luckily enough I had enough cash and change to pay for all my gifts. So, all you with a Welsh heritage, expect a gift.

At the end of the day we ended up in the city of Shwayze which is on the coast of Wales. Our tour guide told us that it was the last major civilization before you hit the Wilderness of Northern Wales. Also, I would like to point out that I asked a Welshman and he told me that our ancestors came from Northern Wales. If I get the opportunity I will be trying to find them and get to them, it may be a very long bus ride. Also, they may speak Welsh there, so it could present a problem, haha. In Shwayze we went to a pub for dinner, I got Fish and Chips, and as we sat there Halloween appeared around us. People kept coming in dressed up and it was a lot of fun watching them. By the end of the night I had been spoken to in Welsh and we had made a few new friends. These people are so friendly. Also to all who care, Welsh boys are the most attractive boys I have seen sense I have reached this country. I definitely went to the wrong country, hahaha. I was sad that I did not have my own costume, but it was okay in the end. That night it was hard to sleep though, because they were partying on the streets until 4 am, and my bed was right next to the window that was on the street that they were partying in. Oddly enough, I was not upset I could not sleep. I was just so happy I was in Wales.

"We are on the bus right now, and you can see the reminiscent shadows of once great castles, estates and abbeys. It is like a fantasy land, Wales is beautiful."

"There is something majestic and exciting to stand where histories and legends took place. Their (castles) history goes further back than any structure that we have in the US."

DAY TWO: I woke up at 7:00 so I could take a shower before breakfast. We got a free breakfast at the hotel and that was really awesome. As soon as we got on the bus everyone fell silent but I began writing about day one diligently in my journal so I would not forget what happened so I could put it in my blog. It was an hour and a half drive to the Big Pitt. The Big Pitt is a coal mine which has been closed down as a working mine, but opened up to the public as a museum. I thought it was really important to see, and I was right. As we headed down into the mine, my stomach flipped, it was a scary cage (that is what we were told to call it). One thing that was fun about it was that we got to wear those headlights, which I really enjoyed, hahaha. In the mine we learned all about the horrible working conditions and we were kind of able to experience how the conditions were as they worked. The tunnels went from low to high randomly, I hit my helmeted head a few times, and the floors were slippery with the water that came down from the surface rain, though I did not slip because of my awesome castle running shoes. Our tour guide was really funny, and a great singer. He actually was once a minor, he told us that if you dad was a minor no matter how much education you had, you would have probably been a minor as well. We could have been minors. Also, the tour guide reminded me a lot of Uncle Steve, haha, cept with a Welsh Accent and older.

We got back in the bus and after a very long and scenic ride, full of sheep, we ended up in the renown Wye Valley. It was the place people would go from all over the UK for its picturesque views. A very talented and well known artist Turner spent a lot of time in this valley. We were headed for an old monastery that lay in the valley. It came up very suddenly and I was immediately taken back by how large and beautiful it was. One thing we learned that I found very interesting was that all the Monks had taken vows of silence. It must have been an interesting experience to be surrounded by 80 people and not one of them spoke, that is what I would consider an awkward silence. We got to explore it grandeur for awhile, it was quite large and then the tour guide took those of us who liked to explore up the side of one of the mountains to get a bird's eye view of the place. It was a long, slippery, steep climb up but at the top we found an old church and graveyard. It was very haunting. Many of the stones were dated very far back, but I did not explore them too much, because I felt as if I was intruding.

Then it was time to get back on the bus to bring us back to Kingston. I did not want to go, I almost wanted to intentionally not get on the bus so I could stay. But, I did get on the bus and as we drove away it got darker, kind of like how I felt inside. Wales is a great country. I was so glad to experience that part of my heritage, and I am really happy I have that. I am now thinking graduate school in Wales? hahaha, I guess I will see.

A few points to note: The Welsh are incredible singers, so that explains a lot coughunclestevencough, haha. Also, all you Jones, you are all very, very Welsh looking! You represent yourselves well! Which if you take the comment I said before about the Welsh being very attractive... well there you go, haha.

Hope you enjoyed the recount of my adventure in Wales! <3 you guys!

Day Forty Six: I'll Tell You About Wales Tomorrow

I spent my whole weekend in Wales. It was a fantastic weekend and I have decided that I may have gone to the wrong country from my studies, haha. Wales is beautiful (in more ways than one), exciting, historical and I am so very proud that it is part of my heritage. I am too exhausted to write about my adventurous weekend, including castles, coalmines and monasteries, but I promise you that tomorrow I will tell you all about it. I also promise that you will want to experience the great land of Wales for yourself, especially you Jones family!

Till Tomorrow!