"I tell thee what, prince: a college of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour."

Yesterday I went back to London. We went to Buckingham Palace. I hope I am not the first to say that Buckingham Palace was a complete buzz kill. It is like a really boring version of Congress. I ended up taking lots of pictures of the gate because it was prettier than the actual palace. However, the grounds around it are nice and are apparently the unnatural habitat of gigantic wild birds. No joke, I saw more than one pelican in a pond that was maybe 11 inches deep.
I also rode the tube around the city for the first time and I really enjoyed it. There is something about the subway that I have always associated with personal independence and sustainability. We went to the British Museum to see the Egyptian stuff and ultimately The Rosetta Stone. The Chinese New Year is today so there were huge celebrations going on in London. At the British Museum we saw a paper puppet show and a few other things. That night we went through China Town to get to our theatre and it was bumpin like it was 1999. It was really fun to me amidst the masses. We saw Spamalot from an amazingly high angle. I'm glad I got to see none the less. And I'm almost finished with Blue Like Jazz. More on that later.

"No, the world must be peopled"

Last night at Ichthus we made pancakes. English pancakes are somewhat different than American pancakes. Here, they are very flat and big and after you cook them you roll them up like a burrito. It actually makes the pancake eating process much easier. However last night I was responsible for cooking my own pancake. I put too much oil into the pan so I think I kind of fried it. When confronted about my mistake the dialogue was as follows


MITCH: It's okay it'll just turn out like funnel cake.
THE BRITS: ......................
MITCH: Okay, I guess that one didn't translate.
THE BRITS: .....................
MITCH: It's like a big donut.
THE BRITS: Oh yeah, right! That makes since.

Since I purchased my RSC: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare I have decided to title my posts with some of his more excellent quotes. Today's quote is from Much Ado About Nothing when Benedict gives a monologue on why it is reasonable to fall in love.

Today was an "I hate England day"

Remember in Mary Poppins when Michael and Jane go to the bank with thier father and the old scary man in the bank tries to convince Michael to give up his tuppence? Well that old man was a crook and now I understand why Micahel never wanted to give his money to the bank.....becuase they would never give it back. That man will most likely end up like this picture of a dead guy on a coffin I took in a cathedral. Micheal just wanted to feed the birds. What's wrong with that? Nothing! Micheal, there's nothing wrong with not giving the British bank your money, and you know why? Becuase they are rediculuosly incompetent. Without going into the whole of my banking story, I just wanted to share with you that British Banking is completely absurd and is the MOST impractical and inconvinient truth that has ever been. Basically, I cant access my acount for another week.... after a month of attempts. So today was an I hate this country day. I sang a song that was titled, England sucks cause it lost all of its colonies and America is way better.

On a much happier note, my day changed when I recieved a package from the Alwahab family. They sent me candy, peanut putter, a chocolate fish and a Wal-Mart bag. Apparently Clint told them to send me American things. It was one of the best gifts I ever got. Thank you Alwahab family, for making my day great!

Also, it was super tuesday yesterday and we can not participate in the election. We kind of like the stress free environment.

This weekend we went to Palma de Mallorca, a medium sized island just off the southern coast of Spain. If I could describe it in one term it would probably be, "The Florida of Europe." It was full of old people. I mean there was a lot of old people. It was obvious that when the Spanish retire they retire in Palma because the weather is mild and the beach in nice. They geriatrics were only surpassed in number by the Germans. I'm not kidding, there were a lot of German tourists on the island. Many of the islanders speak quite a few languages so that they are more accessible to tourists. So as we walked on the boardwalk between the beach and the shops the Spaniards stopped us to ask us questions in German. .... German. I mean really? We were IN Spain, and after six years of relentless Spanish classes I was ready to speak some serious Spanish. This didn't just happen once, it happened like 20 different times during the weekend. I eventually stopped acknowledging the German language. We were three of maybe five Americans on the island.
It was apparent that we had come during off season, but we already knew that because we only payed ten pounds for our plane tickets. The water was too cold to swim in but during the day it felt very pleasant to sit on the beach and read. One of the best parts of the trip was the bakery a block down from our hotel called the "Palmeria" They had the best pastries and the nicest ladies. We went into their shop and talked to them at least twice a day in Spanish. On our last visit they wished us good luck.
The trip itself was a roller coaster of emotion. The first day I felt the lowest I have felt since I left home. I was terribly ill with homesickness and now I believe this is the worst sickness you can have. I could not shake the feeling that I was flying further and further into oblivion away from home at a time when I wanted to be home more than ever. Through much prayer the feelings ebbed and I was able to enjoy much of the trip.
On Saturday there was a big parade in which people dressed their children up as the most absurd characters. For a while we couldn't figure out what on Earth the celebration was. Then we finally deduced that "Carnival" was the only thing a person could celebrate in early February with drag queens. That's right we saw a big one. I was trying to be discreet while taking this video so the girls are pretending to be awkward tourists.

Yesterday ended on a very good note. For those of you who don’t know I had a some issues with ridding the bus that sprung up this weekend. Thankfully and prayerfully I made it to London to see a show and back again. We saw Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and it was incredible! But wait for it.. the best part about it was the Beatrice was played by Zoe Wanamaker who is Madame Hooch in the Harry Potter films. I know you jealous right. I got to see Madame Hooch in person. Not only can she teach flying but she gave a fantastic performance. This was my first experience at The National Theatre and I was very much pleased.
Physical Theatre is still kicking my butt. I’m not kidding. I am still sore two days after our class. This is was our third week of class so one would think I would be used to it by now.
They say that around the third week of the study abroad experience most people experience some sort of homesickness. Combined with uncontrollable life circumstances this was very true. I have missed the strangest things. Lately, I have been wishing to just look at something and it be normal. I have been craving the mall recently. How often do I go to the mall at home? Hardly ever, but right now I would love to just touch one. I have also been longing to see people drive on the right side of the road. It gets old, really... looking the wrong way down the street when you need to cross. However, seeing the play last night really helped. It reminded me of why I am here and that there is a good deal of experiences that I need to have. I am leaving for Spain tomorrow... for the weekend. Can you say that?

Cyclin' Dirty

So my French house mate Victor has an astounding version of "Ridding Dirty" that he often sings while ridding his bicycle around campus. It was therefore appropriate to rename it "Cyclin' Dirrty" I was so happy that I could finally catch it on my Flipcam.

It was a very hard weekend. I am glad that is over. On Saturday I made it to Dover, a little port town on the channel. It is famous for its white cliffs. The white cliffs were neat, I guess but they didn't compare to the amazing sunset the night we were there. It was quite a spectacle. It did make me a little homesick though because it reminded me of the awesome sunsets we get at our house. After looking at these pictures I realized that I look like one of the fishermen painted on a box of frozen dinners.

Probably one of my most favorite pictures of my Grandfather.

"I'm still learning which one's which, ya know?"

Something I have discovered and really have enjoyed since I have been in England is flirting with girls at cash registers. It's really easy here. These are three simple steps.

1. Play up your American accent.
2. Act confused about the coins in your hand.
3. Smile and laugh when they think it's funny.

Today, I went into town to meet Martha for sushi. It was an actual bar with a real moving conveyor belt which is always fun. After we watched our etomami travel around the bar we shopped for things we couldn't afford. I have renamed England jacket capital of the world because they have the best selection of jackets this side of the Mississippi. Unfortunately they are overpriced times two since the pound is currently two dollars.
I sat in Cafe Nero and drank a delicious cafe mocha while reading some D. Miller. More on that later. I had to put in my headphones though because there were two guys outside playing guitar and singing "I'm a believer" in the street. It was really funny because when I initially heard guitar in the street I thought, "Nashville?" but then I realized, "Canterbury." The best part of the day perhaps was tonight at Ichthus. (college lifegroup thing) They threw me a tea party! No joke. They wanted to do something really English for the new American student. I loved it. Not to worry though, I refused milk in my tea. But wait for it, wait for it. The best part is, we had crumpets and tarts. If you have been wondering what a crumpet really is stop wondering because I am about to tell you. They are kind of like pancakes, only crisper. They were pretty good. They talked about all sorts of English things. I learned a ton about English history and politics and why I probably won't get that meeting with the Queen. I'm still thinkin' I can.

(Harry Potter dork note) There really was a Philosopher's stone and it was in Canterbury. Eat it, Hogwarts.

I also got my first package today which is a terrific feeling.

And.... I went to the post office today and they made me lick a stamp. It felt very 1992.

Yesterday we had a guest lecturer in Physical Theatre. It was the most awesome technique work I have ever learned. It was really great to learn something that I would not be exposed to back at home. Today however, I am more sore than a mad cat. We were pretty much doing squats for three hours and for that reason I didn't walk into town today.

Before today I hadn't spoken in my Shakespeare seminar. Well actually I hadn't ever been to my Shakespeare seminar because I couldn't find it last week. For the first hour and a half the other students talked and debated different topics about the play we had seen and then I spoke. You know in the movies when a character says something really outrageous and every person in the room stops what they're doing and looks at him? That's what happened to me, only I wasn't saying anything outrageous I just had a funny accent. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a girl straining to look over the shoulder of her neighbor. It was kind of a funny moment and at the same time terrifying. But now my cover is blown, they know I'm an American. The revolution got brought up for about two seconds. I was content.

Best Disney villain ever.

I went into town to go to church tonight. Once again I missed it. They changed the location to the Cathedral which is a pretty big change and then I couldn't find out how to actually get into the part of the Cathedral where they were having service. On the upside I discovered new passageways in the Catherdral court yards. On the downside, I miscalculated the bus stops and rode the buss for over an hour around Kent. It's fun living in a new place.

I went to London today. I woke up at a ridiculously early hour to catch the bus into town.
Unfortunately I realized I was a little sick by the time we got to London. I did however get to see some pretty awesome stuff. Did you know that Big Ben is actually attached to Parliament? I took some pretty cheesy tourist pictures and made at least three Harry Potter remarks. I also realized today that my knowledge of British history is embarrassingly limited. If I could not relate it to a Disney movie than I didn't really know who the statue was. I'm excited to go back soon.

estrogen

Just a daily reminder that I live with girls.

We never change do we?

Yesterday I went into town via the buss. This time I sat on the top deck because it is touristy. I went to the really awesome Starbucks to write. I knew I was at a crossroads of centuries because the Starbucks is directly adjacent to the cathedral gate. We don't see this kind of thing at home. The cathedral is hundreds and hundreds of years old and now a visitor can have his or her coffee before they tour.

This week it rained. again. So I decided to really enjoy the weather for what it was instead of being offended by it. I turned on my ipod, put on my rain coat, and walked to class. I listened to Coldplay because there is no better time or place to enjoy the meloncholy tones but in England in the rain. I could not help but smile becuase it was utterly fantastic. I noticed however that people were staring at me as if I had the plague and might vomit it on them at any moment. It was then that I realized that the students here do not smile. In fact they find it an odd thing to do while walking to class. Nevertheless I kept smiling because it was raining, I was in England, and Coldplay was humming in my ear.

My classes thus far have been few. Well, because I missed one of them because I couldn't find it. The internet died on campus so I had no idea where my class was. If I was in Knoxville and that happened, I would have freaked out missing a class but because I am in England I remind myself. "pass/fail"

British joke:
Who is the patron Saint of coffee?

St. Arbucks

Dementors in Little Whinging?

On my second journey into town today we went through a tunnel that strangely resembled the tunnel in which the dementors attack Harry and Dudley in Order of the Pheonix. It was awesome and I looked like a HUGE dork. I continue to make Harry Potter references to annoy the British. Tonight our fourth house mate Victor moved in. Victor is from France and two of his French buddies came along. I made the comment "I think our kitchen just got attacked by Europe." It was true. French was flyin' around like candy. It was really fun and I am sure there is more to come. I found out that I pretty much can't pronounce any French word without sounding Spanish. I'm okay with this as Spanish is a superior language. However I plan to master it as well as Bostonian before I leave this place.

everyone, everyone, everyone needs adventure

Today I got lost going to church. I walking into town and then realized I was on an island called England and had no idea where I was going. I completely missed service so I stopped in Starbucks to rest because I had been walking for like 30 minutes. It was nice to sit by myself and read and write. I ordered a mocha thinking it would be a fairly easy translation. It was odd because i think they put creme in it and they served it to me in a real mug. Now I know you can do that back at home if you request it but seriously, who does that? They also asked me when I ordered, "Will you be drinking it?" I thought to myself, "That's the dumbest question a person could ask at a Starbucks." However, I think it really means, "Here, or to go?"

Oh bother.

Today we began orientation. We learned that two of the most complex ideas in Britain are the game of Cricket and British banking. Orientation lasts for another two days and I am thankful because I still feel like I don' t know what I am doing. Today was what you would call a "blustery day" if you were a yellow bear wearing a red shirt in the Hundred Acre Woods.



Everything seems to be overwhelming and I feel like I have already been here for a week but I know that this is true for the first week of anything new. Send me letters. Ask for my address.

England

I arrived here this morning. I am glad to be through with planes for a while and I am certainly ready for bed. Some great friends came out to the airport along with my family to see me off. This made saying goodbye that much better and that much harder. Brittany said that people probably didn't know how much it meant to her when they came to welcome her home from St. John. I understand a little bit now Brit. I really appreciate everyone's love and support that I have recieved and would appreciate prayer as well while I am over here.

Heck yes!!!