Living the Life

Hello friends, family, and the occasional random individual:
It is a lovely morning here in London. 10:20 am, the sun actually is peeking through the clouds, and I am going to go running in a little while. I have definitely let myself get out of the habit of running, and that is just not acceptable! I am quite busy, yes, but I shouldn't be too busy to take care of my body.
Last night, our group had the honor of seeing Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater in Haymarket. Wow. The set design was incredible, the costuming exquisite, and the singing, my goodness, the singing! When they sang "Music of the Night" I just got chills. Beautiful performance. I would go back and see it again in a heartbeat, even if only to see the beginning of the play. It opens in an auction scene where all the old memorabilia of the opera house are being sold off. The broken chandelier is the last to go. The transition from the auction scene to the height of the opera's heyday was amazing. The lights shut down, the orchestra began playing with a mix of a rock band and organ, and the chandelier rose to the ceiling. My pathetic description does it absolutely no justice. All I can say is, you must go see it. Chills were to be had throughout the entire performance. The music was just so beautiful, too beautiful for words. The level of talent and creativity that goes into creating a masterpiece like that could only come from God! And a fun fact: the show has been running continuously at the same theater since 1986. That is longer than I have been alive. Make anyone feel old?
Tuesday I went to Kew Gardens with the group, but spent the whole time with Carson and Diana. It was cold and the trees have not leafed out yet, so it was a little sad. But the springtime flowers that were blooming were lovely. I would like to go back when it gets warmer and the trees have leafed. I'll say this though: I like Fort Worth's Botanical Garden more... I just love a mixture of trees, water fountains and streams, and benches coupled with flowers. The paths in Fort Worth are paved, and much more narrow, and the trees seem to be much closer together. I like the closeness of it all. Kew was very spread out and much too "groomed" for my tastes. And it costs money. The Botanical Garden in Fort Worth is :cough: free. I'll be glad to go back and sit and read a book on a bench in the shade of an oak and surrounded by the roses and fountains.
I believe I am no nearer to God than when I am in a garden. He had to have placed Adam and Eve in one for a reason. Being that close to natural beauty, away from the buildings, electric lights, and trash of the city (which did not exist at creation) gives one such peace in any circumstance. At least to me. I feel solitude, not loneliness, when I find myself alone in a garden. Solitude is being in the presence of the Divine, the presence of His creation, and feeling utter peace and contentment.
With that said, I am going to run in Russell Square, the nearest thing I've got to a free garden in Central London :) Enjoy the pictures!

The Sensory Garden: Our favorite part.

Paying homage to Ralph Macchio

Joy :)

We are hiding...

In the Treetops!

We tried very hard to get this picture :)

Waiting for Phantom to start!

Dr. Hooten is visiting for the week! My favorite professor :)

I Have Begun to Think in Verses...

A lamp in a corridor of Hampton Court Palace

One of the doors to a kitchen larder

A garden bed in the palace gardens

This Reads Like a Diary Entry.

I've been in the British Library for about 3 1/2 hours in the same spot. The reason for this is because outlets to plug my computer into are incredibly hard to come by in the library. I've actually never found an empty space to do so. So now that I have claimed a spot, I will NOT be moving. Until hunger or nature makes that impossible. 

So we only have six weeks left here in England. I'm probably more excited than I should be. I miss home! Mainly I miss the people that make my life amazing. I'll be getting back to it soon enough though :)

Tonight, the group is going to our first opera! It is called "The Tales of Hoffman" and is apparently three operas in one. We have been told to "look fabulous" as this is a dressy event, so I will be posting pictures of my "fabulousness." 

Today has been very nice. I slept in (the construction workers decided to be a bit more quiet this morning) and ate a very nice big breakfast of eggs and oatmeal with blueberries and strawberries. As soon as I was done eating I packed up my stuff, walked to the bus stop, and got on board # 59 towards King's Cross. The British Library is literally about seven blocks away from where I live. I take the bus because it actually takes a while to walk because of the crossings. And it is cold outside.

Classes are beginning to pick up. I must say, this is the weirdest semester I have ever had. We are not at a university here, so it really feels like a three month long holiday with some homework assignments and lectures attached. Not really what I expected, honestly. It has been very hard to maintain a "studious" attitude here. We are constantly doing other things that are program-related that it often feels like we have no time for schoolwork! It is also hard to "care" but I am working on it! I definitely want to get all A's to keep my GPA up. I know my GPA is technically great, but I know I could have done better on some classes that I dropped the ball on. Sometimes a B is genuinely your best. Sometimes it isn't.

This Friday our day trip is Hampton Court Palace, where Henry VIII lived. Only my favorite person ever...

The architecture and palace in general is supposedly very beautiful, so I am looking forward to it. On Thursday my Music Appreciation class is going to see the Museum of Asian Music. How cool is that?! We don't often (okay, EVER) get exposed to Eastern instruments in our Western culture, so this should be a very cool experience.

Last Sunday night I attended the Budapest Festival Orchestra. In London. Great opportunity! The orchestra was wonderful. The conductor was incredibly passionate, and his faces and noises that he made were fantastically hilarious. We had seats directly to the side of the orchestra pit, so I had a great view of every instrumentalist except for the first violins and some percussion. If I leaned forward, I could just see them. Later on this semester, we are going to attend the London Symphony! While this semester has been weird, I cannot say it hasn't been incredible in terms of cultural and artistic experiences I have allowed to have! It's been very great, and a wonderful blessing.

Another aspect of this trip has been the Monday night Bible studies six of us have been having in the Common  Area at the Pickwick. We called it "JTAP." Jesus is Totally Awesome Party. Silly, but pretty honest! We play an opening game, sing worship, and get into the Bible and discuss it, often praying over each other at the close of the time. It's been so cool to get to share that with my fellow students. They really challenge me to do better and to grow as a person and spiritually.

Well, the Internet is becoming spotty, and I am getting hungry, so I shall sign off for now! Hope you all enjoy being updated on my life, even if it isn't written so poetically as I would like.

Miss everyone back home!!

Cheers :)

Dancing into a Destiny

12:34 AM here in London. I'm not sleepy, though I am tired, so I am updating with a much-needed post.
The homesickness I was experiencing the first month has, for the most part, worn off. I am no longer on the verge of tears every five minutes and isolating myself from everyone, wishing I was back in Texas. I am now, dare I say, enjoying myself?! That is truly a blessing. I have made friends with some of my trip mates here, and become very close to a girl from UMHB named Diana. She is so awesome and been such a wonderful encouragement to me! We are pretty much inseparable these last few weeks, from grocery shopping and preparing meals together to spending day-trips and theater time together. It has meant a lot to me to have a good friend here in London. I am so glad she goes to my university so we can continue our friendship when we head back to Texas!
Today, we took a trip to Oxford. Diana and I poked around in the "Religion" section of a four-story Waterstones, which is the UK version of Barnes & Nobles. I bought a book by C.S. Lewis (appropriate, no?) called The Four Loves and a compilation of writings by John Henry Newman. I want to eventually own all the C.S. Lewis books. My favorite is The Screwtape Letters, followed by The Great Divorce. He was such an amazing man. I love that he was an atheist, and then he found Jesus! So beautiful. John Henry Newman was a leading figure in the Church of England until, causing great controversy, he converted to the Catholic Church because he couldn't deny its truth anymore. On that note (Anglicanism versus Catholicism), I must say that I prefer the Catholic church for this reason: the Church of England was founded by a man who, though devoutly "religious," was ridiculously selfish, worldly, and unfaithful, both to God and his wife. Of course I am speaking of Henry VIII (my personal opinions!). A church founded for that reason I can't help but have a deep seated issue with. I know that the Church's history is very colorful, nowhere near perfect, and often downright disgusting at times in the way it has perverted Christ's message. But I still would rather be Catholic than a part of the Church of England...
After Waterstones, we went to the Tesco and procured sandwiches, rice pudding (not so good; too sickly-sweet), and soda, sat on the Martyr's Monument, and ate lunch. At high noon, we had a tour of the heart of Oxford. Our tour guide, Rob Walters, was quite funny as well as very knowledgeable of his city. All tour guides must be of course. We got to see the inside of one of the 38 colleges of Oxford University, Trinity College. So neat! The education system of Oxford, as well as Cambridge, is incredibly unique: in addition to lectures, which are not mandatory, and can consist of over 100 students per lecture, the student also meets weekly with a Tutor. These meetings are one-on-one! The student prepares an essay each week, and must read it aloud. The Tutor is a professional in the field (no Grad-student TA's at Oxford!). I think that this system is brilliant, not to mention so much more conducive to true learning. It made me reconsider grad programs here in the UK... We'll see ;)
Well, I think I am ready to go to bed!! It is impossible to sleep in the mornings because there is construction going on a few houses over. That means about thirty feet over. They don't mind crashing and banging about as early as 7:30 AM during the week! The walls and windows are very thin here, so all sound travels, even up to my fourth floor room. I often hear motorcycles or talking people in the wee hours of the morning. I do miss the serenity of a suburban neighborhood!! Seven more weeks :)
Goodnight!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Where BeBe and Uncle Steve used to live!

The mere at Framlingham Castle. I was so cold!

The door that leads to nowhere...

Aldeburgh: cute little stone people!

This is skate. It's good.

VERY fresh fish. Still twitching :)

For Harry Potter fans... There is a town called "Snape" in Suffolk! 

Copy of Paradise Lost  in the Ipswich Museum

In the Mesopotamian exhibit.

Cough cough, puff puff...

Good evening! And I thank you for your patience. It has been about two weeks since my last post. I am now sitting down in the common area, having just turned in a homework assignment, and I am devoting the next fifteen minutes to composing what I am sure is a long-awaited blog posting.
I am feeling much better as compared to my last post. I still have a phlegm in my sinuses, but I feel totally fine. I think I may be allergic to England...? Either way, I am grateful that I feel good again!
I spent my mid-term break in a lovely little town called Martlesham in the county of Suffolk. My aunt put me in touch with her friends that live here, and I took the train Thursday afternoon into Ipswich station to spend the weekend at their home. Let me tell you something: it was fantastic to get out of London! The country is so different. The grass drips green, the air is clean, and the people exude a persona much friendlier than the big city of London. Bruce and Judy live on two acres just off a two lane road. A forest surrounds the property on two sides, and there are plenty of trees still between them and the road, providing a little "secret garden" refuge for all kinds of birds, two pheasants, and a fox, among other fauna. I probably make it sound much more romantic than it truly is. But I suppose you just had to be there. When the only green space one gets to see for a month is the perfectly manicured and planned parks of the inner city, it is refreshing to experience nature again. I received refreshment physically, emotionally, and spiritually during this past weekend. I already miss it! I enjoy the tranquility of the country, the laid-back atmosphere of a sunny window, a loveseat, a cup of tea, and a book. My hosts' hospitality was incredible, and I cannot wait to return on another weekend to "recharge my batteries."
In regards to my titular repetition, that refers to the inordinate amount of smoking here in London. Oh my goodness, it seems EVERYONE lights up at any given time. I can't tell you how annoying it is to be walking along the sidewalk and suddenly I inhale a cloud of acrid smoke. Some cigarettes don't smell too bad. Unfortunately, the people of London (and honestly the Americans as well) haven't learned that valuable fact. It seems they choose the cigarettes that smell the absolute worst. Oh, it is also equally distressing when the embers from a lit ciggy fly backwards at me as I am walking behind a smoker. Thank you, ma'am, I really wanted that singe mark on my coat... I suppose that is my pet peeve, explained in great detail for you here. I don't understand why someone would choose to ruin their lungs? Some people are genuinely ill, hacking up phlegm, coughing every five minutes. Then as soon as it is intermission, what do they do? Go outside and light up. Come on... For your sake, just stop. And for my sake as well. My lungs are actually paining me right now.
Anyhow, there is a small update for everyone! I will post pictures from the last few weeks tomorrow as I don't have ready access to my camera at the moment. Thanks for waiting, and thanks for reading! "Free" day tomorrow will be spent doing homework, of course. And then we have a theater performance tomorrow night to attend: One Man, Two Guv'nors. Sounds very funny! I hope it is better than "Juno and the Paycock" which was genuinely abhorrent.
Cheers!

So yes, about today...

Hello all,
again, sorry for the fact that my posts have petered out. I have been feeling terrible the last few days. Saturday was awful, Sunday great, then I started feeling sickly Monday afternoon. It is Wednesday evening, and I still feel bad. I hope it is just a head cold and nothing more, but I just feel icky!
Just wanted to let everyone know that, since I really have nothing more to say. Very stressed, very busy, and no time to be sick unfortunately. Prayers are appreciated!
Tonight I am going to Jazz in the Crypt with my Music Appreciation class. We are leaving at 7:15, and I am not sure how long we shall be gone. I am hoping not long, as sleep is my preferred activity at the moment. Still have lots of homework, of course. This semester is no laughing matter! Very academically rigorous, in addition to the time spent doing program activities.
At the moment, I am so homesick that I would plead with Scotty to "beam me" back home right now! I know that is the sickness and the stress talking though. Being here in London truly is a great experience, and I am grateful for it. I'll be even more grateful when I start feeling good again.
Cheers,
Faith