star struck.

This past week I appreciated the life of Grace Kelly. 
Walked through the homes of Rudyard Kipling and Virginia Woolf.
Saw and screamed at the pretty face of Zac Efron. 
Loved and purchased the same necklace as Taylor Swift. 
Oh, and I suffered from the insane crowdedness due to the Pope's being in town. 


Just a normal week in London. 


Significance?


Princess Grace
I'm pretty sure she lived the kind of life I've dreamt about since I was little. Not only was she in a bunch of films (for one of which she earned an Academy Award) (not to mention her costars included: Jimmy Stewart, William Holden, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Clark Gable...) but then she met the Prince of Monaco (fell madly in love) and married him. After that, she quit Hollywood to be a princess and have a family. Oh yeah, this is all besides the fact that she is a style ICON.


Rudyard Kipling
Jungle Book...Just So Stories...He's pretty sweet. You should probably look him up. 


Virginia Woolf
Found out she was friends with TS Eliot. (There is even pictorial evidence, displayed at her house) In her diaries she said this of him, "Mr. Eliot...a polished, cultivated, elaborate young American, talking so slow, that each word seems to have special finish allotted it. But beneath the surface, it is fairly evident that he is very intellectual, intolerant, with strong views of his own, and a poetic creed." First, her writing is brilliant. Second, TS Eliot...wow. 


Zac Efron
Yes, this picture was taken the exact night I saw him. Yes, we paparazzi'd him. Yes, he has a beard. 

Enough said.

Taylor Swift
I was told that she bought the necklace I wanted...so of course I had to get it. I think this makes us BFFs now? 


Papal Visit
I didn't see him or anything...although he was right by where I live doing a vigil in Hyde Park. Jordan is convinced she saw Bill Gates making his way towards Hyde Park...is Bill Gates Catholic?? Goood question. 


Moment of the day:


Grace and I went to "The Falafel Kings" (or something similarly named) for lunch (we always have to try something new). 
Grace: I'd like the chicken shish wrap
Guy at counter: a;lskdfj;oiwfaisndmjfaks;fl
Grace: Huh?
Guy at counter: a;lskdjfomwiceh auiha;sjfa;
Me: What did he say?
Grace: Excuse me?
Guy at counter: a;slkdfja;lmsc;sj
(we finally figured out we couldn't get the shish because it wasn't ready, so we had to order something else)


Mmm....that sounds good, I'll have that. 

things I have learned as a Londoner (or a pretend one at least).

• Old men on the street get EXTREMELY upset when you talk loud. (even when on the street...public area) (upset to the point of SHHHshing) (on the STREET)
• Cashiers (and any service people in general) are not there to help you. Just to be awkward and look at you like you're an idiot.
• Business men in the Tube get quite bothered by little girls sitting next to them (who fall asleep with their ice cream in their hand)
• Oliver is probably the cutest name to ever be said in an English accent. (plus the cutest 2 year old I've ever seen in my ward)
• The people in my ward are the most grateful/sweet members I've ever met. (I think I'll be learning a lot from them)
• Old french men (that don't speak English) like to crack jokes when they pass you exercising in Kensington Gardens.
• British people spontaneously que everywhere they go. They are pros at it (and yes, I learned that queuing is forming a line)
• Double decker buses will run you over (without thinking twice about it).
• Les Miserables will change your life. 
• Pounds are way harder than Dollars. And they take a lot of Dollars out of my bank account.
• Exercising in a beautiful park (Peter Pan included) is way better than anywhere in Provo.
• I should probably start updating this blog more often instead of writing stories down in my journal and in multiple emails....it would save a lot of time.

(The English Channel...From the view by Dover Castle)

I feel like there is so much to do

and even more to say.

In the past week I've been to...

St. Paul's Cathedral

The Museum of London

The Banqueting House

Dover Castle

(including the Secret Wartime Tunnels)

St. Augustine's Abbey

St. Matin's Church

Canterbury Cathedral

Portobello Road

Les Miserables 

plus a million little stops in between.

Which probably means

I'm having a fabulous time...

(even though Jordan can be quite the handful)

                             

Cheers!

27 palace court.

27 Palace Court.

My home for a little while.

                              

Paul Rhodes Bakery. 

Biggest. Mirange. Ever.

Pure. Goodness.

I've had many little adventures as of late.

I've fallen in love with my Great war class (even though it's horribly sad)

Found a pretty store today (and bought a lacy dress there)

Saw the original manuscript of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

(plus handwritten masterpieces by the Beatles, Hayden, Mozart, Wordsworth, Jane Austen, Beethoven, Lewis Carroll (which apparently isn't his real name))

all in the British Library

Had my first experience with true London weather

Found out I'm in the Stratford ward (which will take me about an hour to get to...if all goes well)

I've had lots of good food (most of which has been in the Centre)

I attended a Vivaldi Four Seasons concert at St. Martin-in-the-fields Church over the weekend

and Tonight we're planning on Picadilly Circus

(the Times Square of London)

Life is pretty good.

Cheers!

first few days in london.

(Grace & Yours Truly)
As close as we've gotten to Big Ben! On Trafalgar Square.

I've had quite a few adventures already and it is only day four. And it gets better and better every day!

Highlights so far of my life in London:

JERSEY BOYS. It was fantastic. I can't wait to go to more musicals and plays!

Transportation. The Tube is great! I took my first bus ride today (top level, very front) the bus drivers drive crazily and once upon a time Grace almost got hit by one (double decker).

HYDE PARK. We like to go here to read. 

The Museums. Today we spent the day doing some field study for a couple of classes in the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. (Best part...free ninety nine) 

CLASS. I'm going to have a lot of reading...but it is pretty great being able to go to the aforementioned museums and actually SEE what we just talked/read about.

Shopping. I'm not the best shopper in the world (and the billions of people here don't help that) but the stores here are AMAZING. Primark. CHECK. H&M. CHECK. Will I return? (as often as will allow!). Harrods. CHECK. (waaay out of my league) Still need to visit Top Shop and Zara... looking forward to it.

We've already been able to visit Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Gallery (as well as the Portrait), Hyde Park, Green Park, plus lots of cool walking around the Centre. 

I love London.

I don't know that my body is loving it though. I can't wait to get on a normal schedule and into the swing of things. Having to focus during class here is hard! Especially since I don't get nearly enough sleep and I haven't seriously focused on anything for four months. 

Welp. Sorry my posts are lame so far! I'll work on that...

and as far as pictures go... it takes five years to upload anything. 

That's another thing I'm going to work on...

Cheers :) 

matching matching squared!

you're a wizard harry.

I can't believe I'm really HERE. Living in London (the flight was terribly long, but so worth it). I'm already completely in love with this place. I feel like I'm living on the set of a movie. I really didn't sleep much at all on the flight (even though I was told many times that I must). BUT, good news! I ended up sitting next to my travel buddy Olivia because no one showed up in the seat next to her. And after I went through customs (where the lady drilled me with difficult questions that completely caught me off-guard) I felt just like Harry when he goes off to Hogwarts. Making my way to somewhere new, and somewhere magical. Took a taxi (on the wrong side of the road) to the BYU London Centre (notice the re). Will definitely need to get used to the cars being on the wrong side of the road (side note: I've also noticed it is difficult with people walking down the street. When you see someone coming towards you, you think traffic rules right?? At least I do...I go right, they go right. Well here, I've realized, they will always go left. I still go right though...so it gets awkward)

We all tried so hard to not go to sleep all day long (one of the longest days of my life) and filled our time with very worth-while things:

• Went to Burger King (at 10am for a whopper)
• Went to a mall (H&M a stupid nd Zara included...nothing purchased)
• Took a stroll in Hyde Park (think Finding Neverland) (there was also a pond) (and Grace thought she was the Swan Princess)
• Lounged in the sun on chairs we were supposed to pay to sit in (he didn't make us pay)(it was delightful)
• Saw lots of people paying their respects (lots of flowers, poems, cards, photographs) to Princess Diana (13 years ago to the day, she died) (us stupid americans were told this by a snobbish british woman) at a memorial spot at Kensington Palace
• Ate dinner with the group at the Centre (it was really good, too)
• Then went again to Hyde Park to study (and try really hard not to fall asleep)
• We're currently at McDonalds (more specifically "the cloud" WiFi zone) (London comes ALIVE at night)

(I hope you're enjoying all of my parentheses as much as I am)

Just a little insight into the life that is slowly starting to be mine. Today was really long and full of fatigue, but I'm hoping tomorrow will be filled with even more excitement. We will be having our first adventures with the TUBE.
My professor, Dr. Seely, told us tonight that just by being here (in a place like London), you can't help but grow.
And that's exactly what I'm lookin' to do.

pictures will be coming soon.