I’m down to my last few days here in London and I don’t even want to look at my suitcases because I know I’ll have to pack them full of my possessions soon. I’m going to be so sad to leave this wonderful city that has left a mark on my heart. My time has been filled with so many learning opportunities, adventures I will never forget, people I will never forget, and a London family that will always remain special to me. My last week was spent trying to fit in all the things I wanted to do before I left. Monday I took a stroll down Abbey Road. It was fun getting to sign the wall and seeing the people try and take pictures while crossing the zebra walk way. I could have sat there and watched them for hours it was so entertaining. Tuesday I went on a class field trip to NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of child cruelty). That night I attended the Lion King musical. It was so amazing. I wish I would have seen more than one show. The costume, singing, and acting were all so fabulous. Wednesday I caught up on some homework after class. I wanted to be prepared for my finals on Friday. Thursday I toured the V&A museum with my class. I went there with the intentions of only seeing the performing arts section. I ended up looking around for a while. It was one of the more interesting museums I have been to. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who was visiting London. I also experienced the British beer festival at earl’s court. It was hat day when I went. I got to see so many funny hats, and taste some really good lager and cider. Thursday night I went to my last karaoke experience in London. It was a lot of fun, and there were a lot more CCSA people there this time. I was glad everyone got a chance to experience karaoke night.

Week three sounds so sad to say. I am half way through my adventure in London as a tourist and am already getting sad about leaving. Monday was a slower day. I started off in Heath Park participating in some type of yoga. I love the music our teacher plays, and the more calming activities she makes us perform. I’m definitely not a runner, sprinter, or jogger but I am slowly seeing myself begin to like the more calming and relaxing forms of exercise. After class that day I took the night to catch up on some homework. Tuesday was a field trip day. I got to visit Arsenals stadium. It was a good tour. I learned some fun facts about how they always have the flowers the color of the away team, and how circular walls are supposed to bring you good luck. I’m not much of a soccer fan, so I was glad the museum wasn’t super large. In fact, I would say that was just the right size museum for me. Not too much and not to little, just the right amount. After the arsenal tour was Hyde Park. Here I ate lunch and then went on a boat ride with some of my friends. The water was very mossy. Regardless of the moss and the amount of people it was still beautiful and a good experience. Wednesday was another day full of class. If there was any advice that I would give to someone participating in the London summer program I would definitely suggest not taking two classes. I feel like a lot of my time spent doing homework and in class could definitely be spent doing exciting things in the city. I would also suggest bringing a pair of ear plugs. Without my earplugs there would be no way I would get a full night’s sleep. The dorms are so loud. It’s not necessarily the people, it’s the fact that the walls are so thin and everything echoes. Thursday was the last day of school for the week, so naturally Thursdays are my favorite. I went to the Imperial War Museum and after that I visited a child welfare services establishment. Here my class and I were taught the ins and outs of the UK adoption/welfare system. I also had the pleasure of meeting a group of kids that grew up in the system, but were now out on their own. It was truly amazing hearing the stories they told about their lives. One girl I remember in particular had been through 14 homes while growing up. I was in awe listening to their stories. That night the family went to karaoke night at our favorite local bar, Walkabout! It was a great time to say the least. Friday I was able to sleep in for what seemed like the first time since I’ve been here. Later that day I went into central London and ate at Hard Rock café. It was the best food ever. Saturday was my great adventure across Scotland. It was an epic adventure. I started out by walking 12 miles to a park in Linlithgow called Beecraigs Park. My friend Caitlin and I were real nervous when we were trudging through the woods of this foreign country. We didn’t know what kind of animal we should be looking out for, but after about 2 hours of walking uphill we were finally to our destination. After the park adventure we stopped at a few pubs on the way back to the train station. Once on the train to head home we took a detour and went to Wigen. Later that night we ended up in Bolton, and stayed over because we didn’t make it to the train station in time before it closed. It was definitely an adventurous night that I will never forget. Sunday I woke up and had the best breakfast ever. I found my way back to London and then finished some homework, and chilled with the family for the rest of the night.

I’m now in my second week of my great adventure abroad and can’t believe how the time is flying. Monday I meant another start of the school week. I’m not going to lie it really sucks that I have to do school work while in London. I don’t mind going to class, and I actually enjoy taking all the field trips but the homework part is really cramping my style. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of London action sitting in my room having to read, write, and study. That’s the life of a college student though.  The museum of childhood was where I was Monday. I’m not much of a museum person at all so it really wasn’t that interesting to me, although some of the toys were neat to see. Tuesday was another day filled with museum time. This was actually interesting to me because of the topic at hand; children and disease. I felt like the things I learned were more pertinent to my major. In the morning I wandered through the foundling museum. There I learned how Corem started the foundling hospital to save orphans from the streets and give them a life they could prosper with. The story was very inspiring. Later at the Wellcome museum I seen an entire display on DIRT and some additional information about disease throughout England. Thursday was a very exciting day. I took a tour through Wimbledon were I seen the very courts that world famous tennis players played on. I got some great souvenirs to take back home to my family. They were exceptionally jealous because they are all tennis fans. During lunch we ate in the Wimbledon café and naturally had to have some strawberries. They seemed like the best strawberries I had even eaten. They were the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. After I was finished at Wimbledon I strolled through regions park. The scenery was amazing. The rose gardens were so vibrant and beautiful. The park was very relaxing and I got some great pictures as well. Friday I began my day early. My friend Ashley and I wanted to get a head start on the shopping we wanted to complete for the day. We woke up at 7am and grabbed some breakfast and were on our way. All before 2pm we had been to an unreal amount of shops and  of course took some great pictures of the places we went. During lunch on Friday I enjoyed my first cup of English tea! I chose to have green tea and it was paired to perfection with the biggest burrito I have ever had that I picked up down the street at a Mexican burrito joint. That night the family (my friends and I) bought tickets to the zoo after dark! The silent disco was the best thing ever. It was so much fun and free! Saturday I went to a polo math. It was very similar to a high school football game. I felt a little silly walking up in my dress, heels, and hat. Regardless it was fun! That night i attended a foam party. It was so similar to the ones I have been to in the states, but of course more expensive drinks. : ) Sunday Ashley and I went to Brighton. This was my first time on the britrail! I was very excited to finally fill in a date on my pass! The beach was definitely different. Full of rocks instead of sand. We had some amazing food and an amazing time : ).

Preparing for my trip to London I tried to imagine how I would spend my days and nights while abroad. I assumed I would come out of this experience with friends made and stories to tell. During my first week I have already accomplished both of these. I have a wonderful group of friends that are like my family. Given the amount of time we have known each other I would have never thought I would have made such a strong connection with my new family. Every one of the ccsa students has only heightened my experience thus far in England.

During my first week I have stayed busy. Monday was the start of my classes. I have chosen to take two classes while in London so I stayed busy throughout the week. It was a meet and greet kind of day. I also watched my first ballet on tv and really got a look as to what the class was going to be like. Tuesday I toured the royal opera house and took a harry potter walk. Wednesday was the glorious fitness walk through Hampstead Heath Park. This was a bit of a challenge for me. I am not the type that works out in any way shape or form. Well, this walk was not meant for someone like me that doesn’t work out. I was proud of myself in the end when I finished and completed every task without giving up on it. I especially enjoyed the stretching session at the end of the walk. I have a feeling that when I get back to the states I want to join some kind of fitness group such as yoga or Pilates. It was really relaxing and the perfect ending to the fitness walk. Thursday I went to the London museum and the Charles dickens museum. I am not much of a museum person so it was hard for me to pay attention to everything the museums had to offer. Friday was Camden Market day. When I walked out of the tube station and seen all of these shops my eyes lit up like a little child on Christmas morning. This place and the other markets that are in my future London trip were definitely not in my budget plan. It was so fun to walk the streets and browse through all the wonderful things that was for sale. I wondered to myself when walking through all the places if locals always come to Camden market and how they control their want for all types of things. Saturday and Sunday were my lazy days. I didn’t do much. I caught up on some sleep to fuel me for the week to come. I started to plan out the rest of my weeks I have left in London and where exactly I want to go.

 London is full of adventures. I plan on taking advantage of every day I have left.

I seem to always leave things to the last minute. For this trip I actually started to make lists of things to prepare for my departure out of the country, I dont know what I would have done without them. So here I am wednesday the 6th, the day before I leave and I have every hour packed full of things I must complete before I leave. My sister came to stay with me and has made things 20 times easier. She's such a great helper. I am getting very anxious to depart from the US and begin my adventure not only as a travelor but as a student in another country! Let the fun begin