Things I'm gonna miss...

I've been thinking about the things I'm going to miss in London, the things I definitely will NOT miss, and the things I"m looking forward to at home. By no means is this an all inclusive list...I know there are many things (some probably obvious, some probably important) that I've forgot to put on here. But here it is for now.

And oh, in case you're wondering how I spent my last Saturday night in London, I was studying at school until 1:30 a.m. PARTY ANIMAL!!!

Without further ado....


Things I'm gonna miss about London:
Walking so many places
culture
the feel of the city
night life
shows
walking past the British museum
hanging out with Val
Hanging out with Andrew
People talking in British accents
Being able to travel places for cheap
Running in Russell Square
Bad British Television commercials
the tube
The people that try and attack you with free newspapers
Being able to take the tube and ending up in front of the world's greatest pieces of architecture

Things I'm not gonna miss:
Toilets you have to pump to flush
Getting bumped into all the time
Paying double for everything
My bed that has springs sticking out from the mattress

Looking forward to:
Family
Friends
St. Lawrence Center
Having my own space
Mexican Food
KU Basketball
Text messaging
Singing in my car
Only paying $3.50 for a latte (instead of $7)
Applebees, El Mez, and the Mad Greek
Wings w/ Matt
Nodding my head in disbelief at other Matt
Hugs from my family and friends
Snow
My roommates
The REC center
Watching movies on the couch
Grocery Carts

It's so hard to say goodbye

It's been an eventful 24 hours. Last night, the Tulsa program held a "farewell party" for all of the people in our program. Because we were taking a group picture, everyone came looking nice (with the exception of those of us who are in the Human Rights class and were working on our papers all day), and we celebrated the end of our journey here in London with food and wine. We had a similar reception at the beginning of the program, and it's so interesting to see how things have changed and evolved since then. I'm at the point where I really like the people who are in my program; i feel they finally accept me for who I am, know my boundaries, and are okay with that. I love them equally as much, and it's hard to say goodbye to that when it's taken so long to get comfortable. But that's the way life goes, I suppose.

I hadn't planned on going out last night, but somehow it just happened; it's my last weekend in London and despite the fact that I have 4 finals in 3 days next week, I felt it was something I needed to do. Stacy, Jen D., Val, and I ended up going out to that same Hawaiian type bar that Val and I met my friend Simi at before going to Malta. It was a great time, and it was nice to have a small group of just girls. Many of you know that I'm not a very "girlie" person-- I've just never been in to or felt comfortable with that. But being here has changed that, both because of the people I've met, and because of the people I miss. Don't worry, I'm not ridiculously girlie (I'm not sure I could EVER get there), but it's a little different from before. I think it's where I'm supposed to be.

Anyway, this morning (after only about 4 hours of sleep), I got up and met up with Val, Melissa, Anna, and Nick to go ice skating at a rink that sits inside the moat of the Tower of London. We were the first group of the morning, so it wasn't jam packed (which was oober nice), and it was just blissful. It was a cool crisp morning, but not too cold. I was with my friends, skating (and not falling down) in front of one of the world's most historical structures, with Christmas music playing, and in the best city in the whole wide world. I could not have been more peaceful, nor any happier.

Since I hadn't been actually inside the Tower this visit, I did that after skating. The Beefeaters (the Tower's security guards and queen's official body guards) give free tours, and I took that. Because I needed to get back home and start studying, I gave a cursory glance at the armor of King Henry VIII (who I despise, by the way), and at the worlds largest solitaire diamond in the crown jewels. But it was just incredible.

It's getting close to the end of my time here; this time next week I'll be back in the states (barely), but I'm getting sappy and sentimental because of it. I'm so lucky to have come here. Thank you to all of you who someway made this possible-- from my friends who always knew that this would be good for me, to my parents who supported me regardless of how crazy this decision was, my roommates for accommodating me, and everyone else who has said prayers or well wishes. I appreciate it more than you could possibly know.

Don't stop reading-- that above paragraph isn't a goodbye wish, just a recognition of how incredibly blessed I am. I'll write more in the next day or so. Until then, I've updated my pictures from last night and today. They're again in the "These are the times to remember album..." Enjoy.

I said "Burr!" It's cold in here!

Last night Val and I ventured to the Absolut Ice Bar. Apparently it's one of just 6 ice bars around the world. Some of our friends had gone there earlier in the semester, but we weren't able to go for one reason or another and wanted to go, so we made it happen last night. When I say 'ice bar', I mean that you go into basically a large freezer that they keep at -10 degrees. Inside they have benches (covered in fur to make it warm enough to sit on) and walls sculpted out of ice. They tried to inspire warm thoughts by putting an graphic of a fireplace behind another thing of ice. Before you go in, they give you capes and gloves to wear inside to keep warm. But even then, with a sweater and my regular coat on underneath the cape, it was still pretty cold. Your cover charge includes one drink that they give to you in a glass that is completely made of ice. So cool.(ha ha...no pun intended.) Your ticket allows you inside for 40 minutes which although not all that long, is long enough. It was a lot of fun and a nice study break. There are a couple of pictures here, but check out the "These are the times to remember..." album for more pictures.

Walk like an Egyptian

Last night Val and I went to the King Tutt exhibit at the O2. The O2 is a very large and very cool venue that hosts concerts, has lots of restaurants, has a movie theater, and a skating rink inside; think Mall of America style minus the shops. Anyway, because we took a detour to get tickets for ice skating on Saturday, we were an hour late, but they let us in anyway. It was really cool to see all the artifacts found cleaned up and so in-tact after 3200 years. They showcased a chair from before King Tutt's time that still had the original weaving for the seat. It's incredible to think that something that old is still in tact. But, we walked through all these exhibits, and the mummy of King Tutt was no where to be found! Not only was he absent, but his sarcophagi wasn't there (there were 7!), and none of his wrappings or anything. There were some artifacts of things found with him (right next to him), but he wasn't there. So while it was a fun exhibit, I'm not sure it's worth the price we paid to go without Tutt. Dang. Oh well. Only 10 days left in London.

Just my luck

I took a study break last night to go and watch a replay of the KU v. AZ basketball game. It was initially played on Sunday, but because the owner of the restaurant is a KU grad (yes, here in London!), he shows as many games as possible...even if they aren't live. I"m not a huge fan of watching re-broadcast games, I didn't know the outcome, Nick did and said it was a good one, so I went to watch. He was right...it was a fantastic game. Seeing the shots of Lawrence in the opening scenes made me very excited to get him and be in the midst of all the craziness again. And then Brandon Rush's last second shot that almost won us the game was amazing. But coinciding with my luck on finding out the winner of the football game just before it started, the power (or some of the power, really) went out in the restaurant with 2 minutes left in overtime and I missed the victory. Bah.

Still bleeding crimson and blue

I was so close. I woke up, avoided checking my e-mail, facebook, didn't receive any text messages, no one told me the score, I didn't get on the internet. I made it all the way to Bodean's to watch the game, made sure they were going to show the game before ordering, and found out 5 minutes before it started that KU lost. Nick (the other guy from KU in my program) persevered through the whole game despite knowing the outcome. We didn't play awful...we just weren't at the top of our game. Regardless, here's to the men in crimson and blue who have taught the University of Kansas community that there is more to life than basketball. :)

Tigers are an endagered species; extinction starts today.

The biggest game in college football, and the biggest game in University of Kansas Football history, starts in about 5 hours. (For those of you who don't know, it's Kansas v. Missouri.) Not only is this going to be an epic battle between teams with a historic divide, it's a battle for the national championship. We're number 2, they're number 4. If the winner of this game goes on to win the Big 12 Championship next weekend, they will most likely end up with a spot at the big dance in New Orleans in January. And I'm missing it. :/

They are actually showing the game here in London, but because it doesn't start until 1 a.m. my time, I'm going to have to wait for a replay at 12:30 tomorrow afternoon. That means, come about 2 a.m. my time (8 p.m. for most of you), I will not be available because I do not want to know the outcome of the game until I can watch it for myself. If anyone tells me, I will drop kick them into next week. Until then, I'm going to try and quell my excitement for this game by working on my human rights paper. What a crazy Saturday night....