Week Three

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.