Teatime with Sarah and Mr. Tumnus

Time flying by!

A lot has been going on, which keeps me from writing in this so often, but hopefully when I do write all the activities help this become a lot more interesting. Well lets see last time I wrote in this was Tuesday of last week, so lets think what happened since then. It is crazy for me to think back that far, even though it really isn't that far back. Okay so last Wednesday I went to the Globe to see Merry Wives of Windsor, which I absolutely loved!! It was hilarious. The actresses who played Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page displayed such camaraderie and really did Shakespeare's play justice. I loved it! I bought two posters at the gift shop. One of each play that I have seen and will see, which are A Midsummer Night's Dream and Timon of Athens. I couldn't find a poster for Merry Wives of Windsor, so I bought a postcard of it instead. I also got to take a tour of the Globe, and I really liked how in the recreation process (this is not the original theatre Shakespeare did his performance in because that one burnt down) they wanted to be as authentic as possible so they read up on the time period and looked Shakespeare's own plays for guidance on how the stage must have looked. As a lit major I love when others respect the author's point of view and attempt to be as authentic and true to the work as possible.

Anyways, I had classes on Thursday. I had to do a presentation on Heart of Darkness (yuck!). In high school I managed to avoid reading it when it was assigned, but this time I couldn't since I had to give an opinion on it and I thought maybe I should give it more of a chance. Why do I hate this book so much? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Conrad's female characters are in serious need of a brain and some more depth. His women characters in the HOD come across as one-sided and unrealistic. Besides that I really admire his power to evoke an image from his words. However the plot and the story just are not my cup of tea, but I am glad that I at least read it this time to know that for sure.

On Friday my flatmates and I woke up early to go to Buckingham Palace. All I have to say is WOW!! We toured the Royal Mews (the stables and some of the Queen's cars), the Queen's Gallery (gorgeous paintings and artifacts), and select staterooms in the Palace (omgosh!!). In the Queen's Gallery I saw this beautiful painting of Queen Victoria as a little girl. I love the paintings of the Victorian era. The colors in them are so rich and bold, yet give off this sort of softness. As soon as I entered the palace I felt like a member of the royal family. I could only imagine how it would feel to walk down the plush staircases in a lovely ballgown. Each room possesses large amounts of paintings or the walls themselves could be considered works of art. The huge ballroom was all decked out as it would be for a banquet. It amazed me how so much detail goes into each area of the table. There has to be a certain number of glasses and each course is timed perfectly to the bringing out of the next course. I also got to take the tube for the first time that day. Though it is similiar to a New York subway it is different at the same time. Down where the tube pulls up is so hot! Also the tube itself made me a little bit claustrobic compared to a subway. The buses work better for me or just walking.

On Saturday I started off the morning by doing laundry. I had to drag all my clothes downstairs and then drag them back upstairs two minutes later because I realized that I had bought fabric softner instead of detergent. I dropped my clothes back at my room and then headed off to Sainsbury's to pick up some detergent. On the way there I passed this corner where I saw a bunch of people carrying this giant blue eyeball. Still have no idea what the heck they were doing, but it was so random and awesome lol. After I did my laundry, which had me running up and down 4 flights of steep staircases, I left with Lauren and Leondra (flatmates) to go shopping on Oxford Street. We all went into H&M, where I bought a blue hoodie (gorgeous color blue!), white floppy beret, plum belt dress, a sweater (or jumper as they say here), and tights. I think I will return the sweater though because I didn't really like the way it looked when I got home. I remember seeing this episode of Seinfeld where Elaine Benes (Julia Luis-Dreyfus) tries on this dress, but when she gets home she hates it and she sums it up to the store using some mirror that makes a person look better in the item then he/she actually might. That is exactly what happened to me. After that we went to a small store where they had crazy good deals to look for something to wear to a costume themed birthday party. We have to show up as people from Britain, so I decided to go as Mary Lennox or Sara Crewe. Technically they both come from India, but they are still British citizens so ha! lol I found a cute little jumper for 10 dollars and so that will work with the other stuff I already own.

On Sunday I went to Hillsong Church. The service was amazing! I can't say enough about the worship. It is just such a great way to begin the week and get things started on a good note. The sermon really spoke to me because it was all on personal condemnation and how as people we can get stuck in this cycle of personal punishment that hinders our relationship with God. It gave me a lot to think about it because I know I have a problem with hating on myself and I really felt God calling me to just give that up because it was not from Him at all. A lot of things I was holding onto as truths needed to be recognized for the lies they were, so I went for a walk around one of the many squares and just had some alone time to think about everything. After that I went back to the flat to eat and to do some work before heading off to the Thames festival. It was so awesome!! I really need another word besides awesome, but that is exactly what it was! They had all these venders and merchants selling clothes, food, and art. You name it they probably had it there. Over one of the bridges a parade went by and my flatmates and I went over to see it closer. There was a dragon looking things, flowers (which were a little scary looking), and various dancers. Then we walked over to the London eye to get some pictures before the fireworks started. It was so incredible to stand besides the Thames and see these fireworks go off. It just reminded me that I actually was in London.

Then on Monday I went to Brighton! The drive was really beautiful, and though I love London it was nice to get away for the day to get some fresh air. The bus dropped us off at the pier and we walked a short distance to the Royal Pavillion. John Nash, who helped in the design of Buckingham Palace, also designed the Royal Pavillion. The only way I can describe it is as a piece of India in Britain. On the inside it is all decked out with an oriental theme and furniture that fits that. One chandelier is held up by this giant dragon. It is beautiful, but in a gaudy sort of way. Personally I couldn't imagine living there just because I like things a little bit more simple, but that is just me. I bought two postcards to remember the building and the visit by. Then I went to meet my cousin Kevin by the pier entrance. It was nice to get the chance to hang out with him for the day. We went to eat fish and chips at Harry Ramsden's, where I got to eat the traditional mushy peas for the first time. I loved them! The food here tastes great, so all those that say it sucks are a bunch of liars or just have different tastes than I do. After that we walked around to The Lanes, which are series of older stores, and we went into this old bookstore. It had a spiral staircase to get to the lower level. I am one of those weird people that love staircases that have the potential to break your neck, not because of that, but because they just look so awesome. During lunch I commented on how I love Jane Austen and her works, so Kevin got me a 1950's hardback of both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which I think is completely awesome! Though Persuasion is one of the lesser known of her works it is my personal favorite. Then we continued our walk around the area toward Hove. The designs of the buildings are breathtakingly beautiful. It is amazing to see things built to be both functional and masterpieces in their own right. After that we walked over toward the pier, where we departed because I had to go catch my bus. I found my friends in some dessert place, where I promptly ordered hot chocolate and carrotcake because I had been craving those and it tasted like a piece of heaven. Then we all headed back to the centre, where I discovered on the busride home that I caught a cold. NO!! It is all in my head literally.

Anyways to continue on my journey of this past week, on tuesday I had classes. That was pretty much it except for the past week I have been craving a burger. I haven't been getting a lot of protein, so my body wanted meat so badly. So for dinner yesterday my flatmates, Lauren and Rel, went with me to the Rising Sun to get some food. I had the best tasting burger ever!! The meat was so tender and the flour bun tasted so fresh. It makes me hungry just to write about it.

Then today I went to the National Portrait Gallery again with my classmates. We went on Thursday for our Bloomsbury class, but today we went for the general lit program. They have so many portraits, such as Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Beatrix Potter, Queen Elizabeth I and II, and so on. It is amazing. My favorite though has to be one of this actress, Dame Alice Ellen Terry. She is enveloped in smelling flowers and it looks just so beautiful. I love paintings that show the intimate moments of being a woman. Then I went to the National Gallery, where I saw some painting by Van Gogh. I saw actual painting by Van Gogh! The one of the Sunflowers is amazing. The way the paint looks on the canvas makes it actually look as if the flowers will poke out at any second. Knowing a little about Van Gogh's life and then seeing his work moved me. It is so sad how this man was tortured by his own genius. His works take such simple objects and transform them into the extraordinary. What an amazing gift!

The friends I am making here are so great. I love my flatmates as well as the people in my classes. To say I am having the time of my life would be an understatement. In so many ways I feel so content and complete. This trip is even better than I imagined it would be. Thanks be to God for that and all that He does!

Also to update you on the Herbert the mouse situation. He seems to like me best because he has come out the most for me. Two nights ago he made three appearances in one night and each time he got closer and closer. I had to snap my fingers to remind him I was here. At one point he went under the kitchen table and I snapped my fingers and he ran under this cupboard only to poke his head out and just look at me. At that point I snapped louder and I was like "Dude we are cool if you stay over there away from me." Craziness! lol

P.S. I will post pictures to my shutterfly account as soon as I can! Promise!

posted by Sarah @ 1:19 PM