Blessings, Classes, and Plans

Thus far, my posts about London have been from the point of view of a tourist. The shining eyes, flashing camera, etc. You are perhaps wondering what life in London has really been like - what a normal day is (if there even is such a thing) - for a young American who has, for the first time in her existence, lived along in a big city.


God certainly watches out for me and never ceases to wrap His arm around my shoulders. During orientation days last week, I visited St. Benet's - our little campus chapel - to 1. learn about what exactly goes on there and 2. obtain some free coffee. The chaplain here, an funny Australian lady named Jenny, was extremely kind and shared not only what Queen Mary has to offer but also what is going on in London (including a series of free debates at St. Paul's Cathedral this fall). And she made me some coffee, the physical blessing. She made sure that I understood to come see her - just to chat anytime, but especially if I ever feel homesick or just worn out.


And here's where God far exceeds my expectations and brings me into a great community with such ease. Thursday night, I attended the first gathering of the Christian Union on campus. Approximately 40 or so students attend, and we worship and pray and learn together for an hour or so each week. After CU, a group of us went to Nando's for a bite to eat (bottomless fro-yo for me!) and returning members of CU got to know us newbies. The company - second-year students from QM, another American here for the year, and a composed fresher - was such a welcome change from the party-hardy freshers that seem to have invaded QMUL early last week. From Thursday night onward, God has been at work making sure His hand is firmly rooted in mine as I face this year. 


Sunday brought the first "Church Search" organized by CU. I attend Tower Hamlets Community Church. Holding services in a local primary school, the church (about 50 or so members) was thrilled to have a group of students join them. The "old-timers" led worship, church members shared various announcements about events and projects going on, and a speaker began this fall's series on Ephesians. The church family was wonderfully welcoming as we chatted after the service and I felt more and more at home. After the service, Christa, Emma, and I (the Americans who came with CU) were invited to lunch at the home of the Day family, where we were served Shepherd's Pie, spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, ice cream (God knows me so well), and coffee. To put this in perspective - church service was from 10:30am to 12:30pm. We were driven back to campus at 4:00pm. I have never been welcomed into anyone's home like that before - so unquestioningly, being received so generously. It was really meaningful to be around a family committed to God, to their church, and to loving others - even strangers from another country who have nothing to offer them. Needless to say, I will be going back to Tower Hamlets Community Church.


Other CU events of the week... Sunday night - "gig" with a band from Sheffield called "The Gentlemen" (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnkhBJ9JrL0). "The Gentlemen" do tours of homes in the UK and have played at Christian festivals around Europe. They put on a great show and it was a good end to the weekend. Tuesday night - small group meeting at the home of THCC members Tim and Bex. We'll be studying the Book of Mark, eating dessert (yummy shortbread with caramel and chocolate this week), and just having fellowship each week.


All of the above have really helped make the adjustment to life here easier. Despite my overwhelming enthusiasm for London and travel, it is hard to be away from loved ones and from the familiar at first. To have God plop me in the middle of this flourishing community of faith has been the biggest blessing.


Now on to other, less significant things. Classes. I have lectures and seminars Monday thru Thursday for two hours each day. My current schedule:


Monday - Society and the State in Britain 1450-1720 - Lecture 10am-11am, Seminar 12pm-1pm
Tuesday - Thomas Hardy and the Victorian Modern - Seminar 11am-1pm
Wednesday - Writing and Vision in the Romantic Period - Seminar 10am-12pm
Thursday - Representing London: Eighteenth Century Literature - Lecture 10am-11am, Seminar 11am-12pm
Friday - FREEEEEEE. :)


I have not yet had my Representing London class, but the following impressions are what the first three days of class have produced.


1. Level 4 (introductory) level class (in my case, Society and the State) - not taken seriously. My first-year classes at Ashland challenged me most of the time, I felt I learned something, etc. Here, my professor notified us the first day that presentations are just us "gibbering" and are not assessed, essays need only be readable to attain good marks, and reading for the course is optional. While this would in most circumstances annoy me (wasting time is the silliest), it will be nice for once to have a class that need not hold my attention all the time. The English courses I have will be quite a challenge and have loads of reading PLUS I have big plans for travel, so perhaps something of a cake-walk on Monday mornings is not the end of the world.


2. Having only 2 hours of in-class time per week has the potential to be unsatisfying, especially in regards to my Hardy class. I realize, having not been in classes for way too many months, that I like meeting with faculty and students to talk about what I've been reading. Not sure if this will overpower the joy of not having classes five days a week though...


3. Reading lists. HAHAHA. They seem to pick all the books that aren't available for really cheap on amazon or half.com. So I bought the novels and will rent the rest from the library. I suppose I'll have to refrain from highlighting, but apparently almost everybody does this "renting" thing for books (if, in fact, they actually pick up the books and are not told by their profs that reading is "optional").


4. The big university is complicated and greedy. Printing will be an ordeal and costs 10p a page, so I shall be forced to read articles on my computer. I am not pleased by this. (Don't get me started on laundry. It's 2.50GBP to wash, 1GBP to dry and the laundry facilities are in another building down the way. I shall be buying a bucket and detergent, and using a clothesline. Just call me Mama Ingalls - I'll be saving 5 GBP a week as well as my time.)


5. Non-Ashbrook students are quiet. Refreshing right now, could be frustrating later. And when I talk in class, I try to hide my American accent but it still slips through and I then get asked "Where are you from?", I answer "Michigan," and I get the blank stare that says "Oh, that's not California or New York."


I shall add to this list as I make further observations.


Lastly, I thought I should give a quick preview of what's coming up on my calendar (besides the weekly class, church, and yoga sessions).


Friday, Sept. 30 - Day trip via bus to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath with fellow Americans.


Saturday, Oct. 1 - Volunteering at College Day USA. Have to be across London at 7:30am on a Saturday. Not thrilled.


Tuesday, Oct. 4 - Debate about Eve at St. Paul's. Free. :)


Friday, Oct. 7 to Sunday, Oct. 9 - Train to Dorchester for the Thomas Hardy Harvest Weekend. And to visit T.E. Lawrence's cottage and walk along the south coast.


Thursday, Oct. 13 to Sunday, Oct. 16 - Possibly weekend trip to Dublin with other Americans.


Thursday, Oct. 27 to Sunday Oct. 30 - Coach to Swansea, Wales for the Dylan Thomas Festival. And more beautiful beach.


Friday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 13 - No classes (Reading Week), so hopefully a trip up to Manchester and then on to Edinburgh.


Friday, Nov. 25 to Sunday, Nov. 27 - Hopefully Stratford-upon-Avon to see "The Heart of Robin Hood" by the Royal Shakespeare Company.


That's what I've got for now. More to come soon about living in the East End... the side of London you don't know.... da da dum.

Books, Ralph, and the elusive Peter Pan.

"Nothing is certain in London but expense." - William Shenstone


The fatigue of travel is fulfilling. To know that one has walked miles around a city such as London makes sore feet a small price. Just as I love the feeling of closing tired eyes after hours spent finishing a good book, it feels so good to lay back on my bed, kick off my shoes, and smile after returning from a day out in London.

I'll start with the books. This past Friday was dedicated to bookstores - my little earthly paradises. I took the 25 Bus from Queen Mary all the way to Tottenham Court Road (a journey of approx. 45 minutes). From Tottenham Court, I made my way to Charing Cross Road - London's Street-o'-Bookstores. On the way, I passed London's Tin Pan alley, where music stores stretch as far as the eye can see. Saxophones, pianos, banjos, and violins adorn all the shop windows, creating quite a spectacle.

Then I saw it. The majestic facade of heaven-on-earth - Foyles. This bookstore is the mother-ship of bookstores. I entered in a daze; my head spinning from the sight of shelves and shelves of books, a staircase winding down the middle of the building that allowed one to ascend all 5 glorious floors. I spent hours meandering through the store, picking up a book here and there for my reading for classes. It was marvelous. Foyles is just what I always dreamed of - the perfect bookstore in every way.

I bought a number of books for my classes - the cheaper Oxford classic or Wordsworth or Penguin editions - plus a copy of John le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (which I plan to see at the cinema this week once I finish the novel). The icing on my wonderful experience came at the checkout counter: Foyles offers a 10% off student discount for the fall and the first Wednesday of every month. I was so tempted to tell the kindly old sales clerk that I loved him.

By this time, I needed coffee and I needed to read. The Foyles cafe, right next door to the bookshop and up one flight of stairs, has a ledge of counter before open windows. After grabbing a cup of coffee Americano, I pulled myself up on to one of the rickety old stools and looked down upon Charing Cross Road. This is the London I've come here for, concentrated on one street. Looking around the cafe, people sat before book-strewn, coffee-stained tables. I smiled to myself, cracked open the le Carre novel, and fell into the blissful experience of the written word as Michael Buble music played quietly in the background.

When I next looked at the clock, it was two and a half hours later, my bum was stiff from the hard wooden stool, and my coffee was gone. Leaving Charing Cross road, I headed back down the bus route to explore the area a bit. My favorite find was JAS Smith and Sons - what appeared to be the world's largest umbrella store.

I explored the Bloomsbury area for quite a while, strolling through Bloomsbury square and just marveling at the beautiful, white buildings of West London. I returned to campus via the 25 bus and spent an hour or so resting before heading out to Wetherspoons, a pub at Canary Wharf, with members of QMUL's Christian Union. I tried Pimms lemonade, which was a delicious little alcoholic drink.

Saturday was an early, early day and for a very good reason. Heading out from Mile End around 8:30am, a group of Americans and I headed down to Piccadilly to try and get some theatre tickets for that afternoon. We had the unique privilege of seeing Piccadilly Circus at probably the only hour of the day that it is deserted. This is what it looks like:

We (Christa, Emma, Lilly and I) headed down to the Royal Haymarket Theatre, where Ralph Fiennes is currently performing in Shakespeare's "The Tempest." The box office opened at 10am, at which time we hoped to get our hands on 15 GBP stall tickets to the matinee performance. We got in line at 9:15am with about 20 or so people ahead of us. By the time I, the first of our little group, got to the window, there was one (ONE) ticket left - seat A3, a front row seat. I could not say no and the other girls were good sports about it. While they headed across the street to get tickets for "The Phantom of the Opera," I was bubbling over with excitement for the 2:30pm show.

During the two or so hours between our waiting in line for tickets and the start of the show, I left the group and went down to Green Park to join one of the free "Autumn Amble" walks around London. I took the "Oscar Wilde's London" walk, which was a guided tour of Wilde's favorite London haunts in the St. James area. We saw, for example...

The Royal Arcade

London's premier tobacco shop (formerly Robert Lewis's)

...and some of the hotels Wilde frequented. Our tour guide, an Oscar-enthusiast named Allen, walked us through the streets of London dressed as a dandy. He wore Wilde's famous green carnation, a Victorian sign of homosexuality. In his witty British manner, Allen related various anecdotes and facts about Wilde's life, including his unbelievable cigarette bill (Wilde smoked between 80 and 100 cigarettes a day!) and the details of Wilde's sodomy trial. Apparently, the law that Wilde was charged with breaking regarding sodomy remained in effect until the 1960's (though obviously less people were charged with engaging in public homosexual acts). 

During the walk, I met a girl from Poland who is studying art in London for the year. Talking with her about her experiences growing up in Poland, learning English, and exploring London was wonderful. She even offered to help me as much as she could with my Kosciuszko research, should I choose to look at him for my thesis.

After some broccoli and cream soup at Pret with the other Americans, we parted ways to our theatres. The Royal Haymarket Theatre is a beautiful little space, decorated in gold and blue. I found seat A3, the front row of the theatre, and gave a silent cry of delight. This was the view from my seat to the stage:

HOW AMAZING IS THAT?! During the performance, Ralph Fiennes (who was brilliant as Prospero) was an arms-length away and, at one point, I swear some of his spit landed on my arm. That's how close I was. The play was really great, just as Shakespeare usually is when it's done right. During intermission, everyone in the theatre bought a little cup of ice cream (which I felt obliged to purchase and consume myself) for refreshment and then settled in to watch the second half. Such a wonderful experience overall and being in the front row (with a super discounted ticket) was certainly something new for me!

After our shows, I met back up with the Americans and we walked down Piccadilly Lane towards Hyde Park. We went into Hatchard's, the booksellers that first published Wilde's work, to browse. I, in my weakness, purchased another book, but hey, it's from Hatchard's. We then headed down for a sunset stroll through Hyde Park, vainly searching for the Peter Pan statue, which no one seems to know exists. Every Brit we asked gave a quizzical look and shrugged. Most didn't believe me when I said there was a famous statue of Peter Pan there - I suppose the locals have little interest in things that are right under their noses. I'll have to search another day, I guess.

That's enough for today. I'll be sure to post all about Christian Union and my visit to Tower Hamlets Community Church very soon.

The Story Begins

The Study Abroad Office can never tell you everything. That is what I've learned this week.


First things first. Here's the promised pictures of my flat - well, my room at least.

First example of "not telling you everything" - the shower. That is it, on the left. The drain is the middle of the bathroom floor, there's a curtain. That's it. Very small little space to take a shower - which, to this shower lover, is unfortunate. I will survive though.

The ordeal of getting a cell phone (a "mobile" as they call it here) is another thing that no one really explained. After deciding to go with Orange, I made the walk to the nearest store to get a phone and pay-as-you-go plan (12p per minute, 12p per text).  I quickly learned that "walk" was an inaccurate term and that "hike" was much closer. After 45 minutes and a couple miles, I finally made it to the shopping area at Canary Wharf, the financial district of East London.

And got a mobile. Hallelujah.

In other news...


It is Welcome Week at QMUL - a time that could be renamed "Freshers Party While International Students Are Frantic Week."


I guess I had forgotten what it is like to be an incoming college freshman: away from home for the first time, you stay up later and reach a level of loudness that only other freshmen can tolerate. In Britain, this also includes more alcohol than an old lady like me can fathom, cigarettes (and pot), and complete disregard for said old lady flatmate who is suffering from jet-lag. The amount of alcohol these Brits consume is astonishing and it boggles my mind how different my first experiences at university are from theirs. I'm sure the party-go-lucky attitude will slowly expire as classes start... I hope.


Now, the frantic part. I've had a number of induction meetings for the study abroad programme, the English department, and the History department. Information from these meetings has been helpful, but overwhelming and has failed to calm the little nerves I have for classes next week. We shall see. The approach the departments have to things like timetables and reading lists puts a lot more responsibility on the students to do their own research, check Blackboard (like Ashland's Angel) and email to search for vitally important information, and just wait until class starts to find out what you actually need for class. For one who normally gets their books on amazon or half.com weeks before the semester starts, this is all quite frightening. The wait is almost over though. The clouds shall part and classes start....


It has been comforting to find that other Americans have been having the same issues as myself since our arrival. I've met a few that are quickly becoming friends and we've begun our traveling with a visit to the West End today. We took a tour of Buckingham Palace's State Rooms and Garden, which is fantastic if you ever get the chance (About 16GBP, book online the day before). It is quite stunning inside, as expected, and I shall be very happy to live there when I marry into the royal family. There is a Fabrege exhibit there now, but more importantly, Kate's WEDDING DRESS was on display (along with her tiara, veil, shoes, earrings, bouquet, and the wedding cake). It's GORGEOUS and it was wonderful to admire it from close up. No pictures were taken inside of the palace, much to my chagrin, due to security regulations. If interested, google it yourself to see the Throne Room, Ballroom, Dining Room, Grand Staircase, Green Drawing Room, Blue Drawing Room, White Drawing Room, etc. 

Outside of Buckingham, after our tour - Kelsey from USC and I.

In the Gardens

The Front Gate.

After Buckingham, the four of us who went out site-seeing headed over to Trafalgar Square for some pictures and a bite of lunch. Trafalgar has a great atmosphere and it was pleasant to just walk around out in the sunshine for a little while.

Lord Nelson!

The Olympic countdown! 310 days.

The adventure of this morning and afternoon was perfect - a real release of the tension that surrounds life on campus right now and a reminder of why I'm in London. After this period of hassle is over, I'll be reading and traveling, seeing new places and learning new stories. And the stories are what matter. So no more worrying about bank account here - this my story and it will be in the United Kingdom for a year and it will be exciting and real and full of life.

First Days

The plane was very full, but before I left DTW, the kind Delta people offered to move me from my center-center seat to an aisle seat. I happily agreed. Then, as I was just about to take said aisle seat, the guy at the window seat asked if I would mind trading with his wife so they could sit together. His wife had the dreaded center seat, so I recovered the o'-so-glorious privilege of sitting between two strangers who would not appreciate my 1. leaning on them to sleep or 2. waking them up to ask them to get up so I can walk down the aisle. It was not a comfy ride, to say the least.


I made it safely to London at precisely 7:20am yesterday morning, but the hard part hadn't begun yet. Heathrow is a devil of an airport for a young woman with 2 huge suitcases, a carry-on, and a backpack that weighs more than her. The trolleys for luggage are free, so I was happy - until I learned that one cannot take one's trolley on the train to the main terminal. How cruel. But wait, there aren't trolleys in sight when one gets off the train at the right terminal! At that point, I was already sweaty from the exertion of carting all these bags. Only a few huge ramps (going upwards, of course) and the busy central airport area to traverse until the end was in sight. I did easily find the QM group waiting for the shuttle, only to learn that I may or may not make it on the 9am shuttle and may or may not have to wait for the 10:30 one. Well, you obviously know already which shuttle I got on (10:30), but I did have a nice chat with a fellow American coming to QM in the meantime.


After arriving on campus around 12 and collecting my room key, I unpacked, enrolled, and bought some dishes (used plates, silverware, and a pot for 4 GBP. Not bad. I then hopped a shuttle from QM with a few of the Americans I met and headed to Sainsbury's for some groceries. Sainsbury's reminds me of our not-so-beloved Walmart - it has everything for what you think is a good, cheap price, but that could be not true. Anyways, I had bread and fruit and orange juice and cereal, and that's all that really mattered. I also had to buy a new hairdryer seeing as I almost started mine on fire after my post-airplane shower.


My flat is pretty nice, about the same size as my "sleeping closet" at Ashland's Andrews Hall, and I have a bed and bath all to myself. Pictures to follow. I've met all of my flatmates, I believe, which include an American turned Londoner, a Prague-ian (yes, I made that up), and students from England and Wales. Our ages range from 18 to late 20's, so it's quite a mix. Most are starting their first year at QM, even if they're my age or older. I've learned that the British have a much different approach to going to college - it's more of a "when you are ready" idea, instead of a "you've graduated from high school, now you go to college" outlook.


Last night there were some events for the Fresher's Week program, but I, having been up for over 30 hours (honestly, I cannot sleep on a plane to save my life), couldn't bring myself to stay up. 


This morning, I did yoga (it felt wonderful to stretch) and had a bite to eat before setting out to turn in forms, get a gym membership, buy a three-pronged adapter plug for my laptop, and fetch a few more items from the grocery store (Budgens this time - much smaller, but quiet and a little cheaper I think). Orientation sessions start tomorrow, classes on Wednesday (I believe - still haven't quite worked that out...).

The American

Over the past months, I've been studying and praising the British - immersing myself in English and Irish literature, listening to English singers and bands, watching films set in London, reading up on Churchill and other British figures. Anyone within earshot has heard me describe my excitement to spend a year among the civilized and stylish Brits. I've complained about the American way of life, looking instead to the pace and energy and standards of Europeans.


This weekend, however, I remembered what I love about America. As words and images have appeared honoring those who perished in the attacks on September 11th, it has once again become plain to me that this nation is something special. Despite our political and social troubles, at its very core this country is a land where people exercise such a blessed freedom and are forever willing to dedicate their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to upholding that freedom. I am truly fortunate to have grown up in a place where my beliefs, my intellect, my heart can grow and I can become the woman God wants me to be.


I pray for all those who have lost a beloved family member or friend in the events of ten years ago. I hope that, while there is still a piece missing from their existence, their lives have been filled with blessings since their loss. I also pray that this country and its people will have their paths made straight before them and will never lose sight of what is right, and just, and good.


I am glad to have spent this last weekend in the United States, the land of the free. I will not forget it, no matter where in this world I may be.

2 weeks to go...

Due to the upcoming events that severely cut into my "get ready for London" days, I've started packing. It's not going well, as you can see:

I suppose I won't be able to take all the sweaters I've packed after all. Oh well. At least I'm doing a trial run and am not having these problems the day before I leave.

On a happier note, I've finished browsing through my Oxford Guide to Literary Britain and Ireland. I've marked pages where there are towns or sites I want to see.

I'm sure I won't be able to see everything, but I'm going to try. Next step is to mark the places on a big map of the United Kingdom and try to plan trips to the various regions. I'm very excited - soon I'll be able to see some of the sites my favorite books and poems are based on. For example, the Guide lists the exact location of the hillside that inspired Dylan Thomas's "Fern Hill." How fantastic is that?!


Today has been productive at least. The rest of this holiday weekend will be spent getting ready for my mom's 50th birthday BBQ that we're hosting Monday. England will be put on hold.