FALLing in Love with London

Hello all! This week overall has been a good one…it was hard to get back in the swing of things after our weekend in France-we literally went all day each of those days non stop so there was no recuperation time in between class and travel. BUT it was still a great week…class and internship went well and we even got to go see WICKED!

Now WICKED was great…the girl who played Elphaba (wicked witch) was absolutely amazing and she was actually the understudy for the performance. I loved seeing it again after experiencing it in NYC and going to the behind the scenes tour. This is one of my favorite musicals and it was a great, new experience to watch it with british accentsJ And to top it off…I bought some Starbucks beforehand to remind me of home-I miss home a lot, but I can’t imagine being back at Elon at this point. This was a great night and I can’t wait to go see Les Miserables so soon!

Also, this week I went to a new place called Regents Park which was absolutely beautiful. Everything was so elaborately placed…fountains, flowers, swings, etc. It was everything you could dream of and more! I had a great time journaling, reading and taking some pictures. These are the days I am living for and enjoying while here…I love being outside and adventuring to new areas and London is the perfect place for both of these!

What else…OH Jacki (my flatmate) decided to get her haircut so we found a salon and all went for moral

support to get her a new style…and she looks wonderful! While we were waiting, we went around to different stores in that area and I found a ring that I have been wanting for so long…it’s a flower with a little diamond in the middle. Other than my pearls, this is my new favorite piece of jewelry J

I must add…this fall weather has been extremely pleasant. I thought that once I came here that it would just rain the whole time. But literally out of the past 4 weeks I have been here, I believe there have been only a handful of rainy days! The sun is shining so brightly these days without a cloud in the sky and I have LOVED it! Anyways, Saturday I woke up early to go to the travel agency to talk about travel plans to Italy and Spain/Madrid soon then we went on to a great, artsy area called Brick Lane. This town was composed of vintage shops one after the other, and everyone walking around was extremely edgy and young. I felt a bit out of place wearing my cardigan and pearls…but it was still quite a fun experience!

Last night we hung out and did some homework then today I woke up early for a great church service at Holy Trinity Brompton. One of my friends from Elon suggested to go there so we tried it out and LOVED it! It was a very lively church and the student ministry seems wonderful. They even invited us to have some free food and fellowship following the service so we got to meet some local students and also some Americans who are studying abroad as well! This was quite the blessing to find this fellowship in such a large place…I hope to go to their student nights on Tuesdays for some bible study and worship! This was definitely a highlight of my week!

I am looking forward to this upcoming week as I prepare for Italy with Kirsten. We are traveling around Sienna and Rome so it should be quite the trip! Be sure to check back after this upcoming weekend for videos and pictures on our trip J I miss everyone so very much and can’t wait to continue in sharing all of my experiences while here!

J’adore le Paris

Bonjour! Or as I like to really say…hey ya’ll! I made it back safe and sound from Paris after a full weekend of experiencing different sites and making my way around a city that I have briefly visited. Now can I begin by saying I have the worst French accent ever. Between my training in Spanish and my slight south accent, it was a disaster in the making. After a few dirty looks and help from my friends on the trip, I progressively learned over the weekend a few phrases that got me through my stay.



**Just a heads up…this post is extremely long, BUT I promise you will be entertained throughout so get excited! Also, two videos are posted because it wouldn't let me do a full length movie.

So where do I even begin…I suppose the beginning would be a good place. On Friday, me and my flatmates (Jessica, Kirsten, Sam, and Jacki) ventured to the train station at 5:30 a.m. Quite the early

morning to say the least! We hopped on the coach and were whisked away on the Chunnel to France. I sat by an extremely nice lady who lives on the outside of Paris and gave me some great tips for my stay. After speaking for about an hour, I passed out for the rest of the way (despite my original goal to journal) and the next thing I knew I was in Paris! We went straight to buy our pass on the metro (quite a struggle at first considering we didn’t have euros) then made our way to our hostel, St. Christopher’s.

After checking in and dropping off our belongings, we headed to the famous Moulin Rouge…and let me tell you, it was very small unlike the image you see in the movie. It was still neat to see it and

walk around the surrounding community. We then decided to go to the Sacre Cour (famous cathedral) and on the wayfound a quaint painting shop where we found great artwork as well as a carousel. This was sooo much fun…it has been quite a long time since I have done this! Then we took some pictures (jumping of course) and made our way all the way up the steps and came upon a juggler from NY. He was really entertaining and we enjoyable to sit and watch. The cathedral itself was beautiful but what got me the most was the amazing view we had of Paris. I suppose it was the mixture of beautiful (perfect) weather and the fact that I was in France…but I couldn’t help but tear up just a bit because I was actually doing what I have wanted to do for so long-TRAVEL and ADVENTURE around the world!



Check out PART ONE of my Shea's Shananigans in Paris :)

After doing this, we ventured back to our hostel to take a quick breather and research a good place to eat for dinner. We took the metro over to L’ Encriers and got a bit lost, but in the midst of being turned around, I ran upon the place I stayed at when I visited with my senior class! What great memories that was and to think I was standing back in the same place just three years later. We finally sat down for dinner around 7:30pm and ate some French cuisine (well I got a vegetable lasagna) but it was still marvelous. We then decided to go see the Eiffel Tower before the night ended and we got there right in the knick of time to watch it sparkle as we stood underneath it. Then it was back to the hostel for a good night’s sleep before rising early on Saturday for another full day.



The next morning, we arose and had free breakfast at our hostel (cereal with warm milk, baguettes with nutella, orange juice). By the way…nutella is the best thing ever to be created! Hazelnut and chocolate are soooo great together on bread-YUM! Me, Jacki, Kirsten, and Sam decided to visit Versailles

Palace while Jessica met up with her friend studying abroad in France. Versailles was absolutely beautiful! This is where Louis XVI lived…so much history! Although it cost a pretty penny to visit, this was definitely worth it! Between the magnificent tapestries, elaborate cathedral, the fabric on the walls, the gorgeous pictures, hall of mirrors, gardens, water works, music, atmosphere, etc…it was amazing to say the least. We spent a few hours traipsing through the halls and learning about the history then took pictures in the gardens while watching the fountains. We had a splendid time within the palace and as we were leaving, there was a small infantry marching down the streets…talk about a perfect ending! And I even got to take my picture with one of them.

We left town on another train and went back towards the Eiffel

tower to do the Seine River cruise…we got to see sights such as the Louvre, where Princess Diana was killed in the tunnel, the American church, golden flame, etc. It was so much fun and nice to sit down for a while after being extremely hot all day. I was definitely NOT prepared for nearly 80 degree weather!
 After our cruise we mounted the grand tower at sunset and got to the very top right when it was pitch black. THEN the lights started to sparkle and it was simply marvelous. One of the best things…we met an adorable couple from Cary, NC! I know….and it gets better-they had a son who used to go to Elon and transferred to Appalachian. What a small world, ya know?! Anyways, we finished up and went off in the distance to sparkle one last time. Then it was back to the hostel to get ready for our last day in Paris L

PART TWO of Shea's Shananigans!

Sooo the day finally came for us to leave…so sad! We checked out and ventured off to a small market to get last minute items then went to the Arch de Triumph and walked down the Champs d’ Elysee to finish off our wonderful weekend. We had to meet back at the hostel to grab our bags and get on our train home. Although it was sad to leave Paris, I was ready to be back “home” in London. Despite some awful smells (that town needs some DEODRANT) and rude people at times, it was a fabulous weekend that I would recommend for all to visit. Bonjour Paris…Cheers to London!

All the World's a Stage...

This past week has been extremely busy…I had my internship on Monday and Wednesday as well as two plays (more on those in a bit) and then class on Tuesday and today. Monday and Wednesday were long days because usually I would get back from my internship for an hour or less then head off to the plays, which lasted around 3 hours. This would put us back at our flats around 11pm or so…definitely makes for a long day!

The first play we saw was Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” dating back to the 1600s. We got to see it in Shakespeare’s Globe, which made it even better! Although it was not the original globe, it was still really cool to be in a place that had such historical significance. When recreating the globe, they used the same elements of an outdoor theatre (Jacobethean Round to be exact) with an open rooftop as well as room on the ground for the commoners to stand. So guess where we were placed…standing on the ground for the full 3 hours. It may not seem that long, but let me tell you-my feet were quite achy by the time we left! I kinda felt like an old lay…but after a solid night’s sleep all was well. I really enjoyed “As You like It” and thought the actors did a great job portraying the parts…it is interesting how you can read something and invent the picture in your head compared to when you see it in real life. My favorite part was at the end when they tossed love quotes on scroll-like paper that one of the characters wrote for all audience members. This was a highly interactive play and broke the “4^th wall” a lot of times to have the audience feel engaged as if they were there back in time with the actors.

Then there was Mother Courage on Wednesday night…yikes! When I originally read this play, I didn’t really like it all that much because it was a bit melancholy and ended on a sad note. I thought that maybe the live version would be better and would allow me to understand a bit more what the point was of the play itself. Basically, Mother Courage has three children, all whom die throughout the course of the play. It is meant for the reader/audience member to realize the conundrum that war creates…Mother Courage made herlivelihood off the war byselling things from her cart yet killed all whom she loved the most creating a vicious cycle. Not to mention all of the profanity that happened throughout…I just did not enjoy myself. (*read side note) Something that I thought was interesting though was that the stage hands were actively apart of the show and the concept of Brecht (the creator) was that the audience would be fully aware that they were watching a show. This is something I have never seen before. AND there was a really cool BIG chair outside of the theatre which we enjoyed taking pictures on.

*Side note on profanity…I think they amplify the usage of curse words here. But why?! Since when was it attractive and classy to use such vulgar wordage? What ever happened to ‘Oh My Goodness’ or ‘Oh dear’ or anything other than…well you know what. This is something that seemingly urks me and that I just try to tune out and not become numb to hearing it.

Anyways, tonight I am preparing for my London extravaganza with 4 of my flatmates. We are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to enjoy a pack-filled weekend of the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, the Siene River, etc. I cannot wait! Be sure to check back later this weekend/early next week to see pictures and videos of our adventure! For now I will leave you with my favorite quote from Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages…”

Check out what each theatre looks like inside!

I Like that Boom Boom POW!

Can I just say I LOVE fireworks?! Oh my goodness! I just got back from the best showing ever...that will come a bit later so keep reading.

This weekend has been very laid back and I have loved it! Yesterday, Kirsten and I stopped by STA travels to book our fall trip to Spain and Morocco! Oh my goodness…it’s going to be REDICULOUS! It will be a whirlwind of events…we fly into Madrid and spend 4 nights there

and enjoy the city then leave and head down to Algeciras, Spain then take a short bus to Gibraltar to see the everso famous Rock of Gibraltar. From there we take a ferry to Morocco where we will spend 4 nights doing a package deal we found from STA. Basically, we will be seeing waterfalls, going on a camel trek, etc around Marakech and I am soooo excited! We also get to have tea with the locals which will be quite entertaining I am sure. Then of course…shopping in the markets and all that good stuff!

So after this was complete and our trip was planned, we headed back home to enjoy the rest of the day and played a round of bananagrams to finish out the night…best game EVER! To all those who haven’t played…this is a must so go to your local store now and find it! No really! We went to bed after burning the midnight oil and woke up late. I had my own little

church service today in my room which was a delight then got up and got the day started with some breakfast, a shower and grocery shopping. After doing homework all day, it was time to go out and enjoy the city. I found this free showing of fireworks in a weekly newsletter we receive through our school here…there was a Mayor of Thames street festival that happened Saturday-Sunday. It was such a cool little market located on the Thames River by the London Eye with Big Ben in the background! We made some great purchases for fairly cheap amounts then got situated to watch the FIREWORKS…and boy were they amazing. We found the perfect spot overlooking the Thames and watched fireworks that were shot above the river and near London Bridge. What a delight…this was definitely one of those memorable moments in London I will NEVER forget. Be sure to watch the video below to see exactly what they looked like J

This week is going to be crazy…I have internship/As You Like It at the Shakespeare Globe tomorrow night then Tuesday is class. Wednesday is internship and Mother Courage at the National Theatre and Thursday is class. Then Friday is off to Paris bright and early for the weekend and I simply cannot wait! More on the plays and a rough outline of my itinerary to come! Enjoy some the MAGNIFICENT fireworks with the London Bridge in the background!

A Day of Royalty

Today I felt like royalty...well kinda. We woke up early this morning in order to report to Her Majesty's abode (Buckingham Palace) by 11 am. Once again, there was not a cloud in the sky and

the sun was simply beaming so this just set off the day to a great start! We arrived around 11:30 and hopped in line for about 30 minutes to get our tickets for the tour of the Royal State's Rooms. This included rooms such as the picture room, a full exhibit of her beautifully adorned gowns...ohhh what it would be like to wear a Gold chiffon dress overlayed in lace with diamonds around the hem. WOW...talk about some BLING! We also walked through the room where Prince Charles and Prince William (and probably all princes) were baptized with Thames River water.

It was such a cool feeling to get to walk through the halls where the Queen of England spends her time...oh what it would be like to be the Queen for the day-no big deal I'm sure. As you will see in the picture to the left, that was a sneaky photo of the picture gallery...look at those elaborate walls and high arched ceilings! Absolutely Beauuuutiful! My favorite part of the palace was getting to see all the gifts that were given to her at different countries she has visited. And come to find out, she has dispersed every single gift, no matter the size, around the Palace.

Between tapestrys and jewelry, to a shawl and carved polar bear made from stone, there were so many interesting gifts dispersed in every room.

Anyways, all I can say is that it was simply marvelous to walk where the Queen of England walks on a daily basis when she is in England! After this, we all got to enjoy the day in the gardens in the back of the castle...in the video below you will see the room where the Princes get baptized. We continued our day at the National Gallery with our professor who is living

here in London with us and teaches a class. Her specialty is art history so we asked if she would mind taking us through some art history in the museum. We got to see a bit of everything...Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, etc. It was very cool to say the least! I have always wanted to appreciate art but have never really understood it, but Kirsten provided stories and answers for all of our many questions about these elaborate (and some simple) paintings. Come to find out...all the big names today (picasso, etc) were poor when they were artists. Now to think how big they have gotten over the centuries and they aren't even alive to appreciate it! After the museums, we decided to go into Trafalgar Square to climb the great lions...and that was an adventure in itself. After many many laughs and some failed attempts at first, we finally hoisted ourselves up on the feline..and boy, was the picture worth it or what!

Overall, today was one of my favorite days yet! I have been busy at work trying to plan all of my upcoming travels...next weekend its Paris, soon to follow Italy then Spain and Morocco for Fall break! Yes...I may even be riding a camel in the desert and experiencing waterfalls-no big deal! SO EXCITED for all of the traveling coming up but I am also trying to enjoy my home of London for now! Tomorrow we may get to go see Les Miserables for matinee or an evening show...we shall see! I am loving all the different aspects that London offers...now if you could just imagine with me what it would be like to live in that royal palace. But for now, I will go retire in my bunk bed in the flat-gotta love the life of a college student studying abroad!

Conquering the Tube...

These past two days have been great! I began classes yesterday (starting at 1pm) so I woke up a bit early to spend some time by myself doing what I wanted/needed to do and I had a wonderful breakfast complete with some eggs and cereal with fruit-YUM! I headed off to school...and can I just tell you that it was the PERFECT day outside. I believe the temperature rounded off to about 75 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky which is quite rare for London. I first had my Literature course and I am soooo excited...we get to go see 9 different plays throughout the semester and come back to class and talk about them the next class! My teacher is really cool too...he is originally from India but also has a British accent and he is extremely nice-this will probably be one of my favorite classes while at Elon!

I have a 30 minute break in between my two classes on Tuesdays so I spent time outside in the nearby park simply calling people randomly. It is so nice to hear a familiar voice even though

they are across the ocean-technology just blows my mind sometimes! This was a very nostalgic

time for me as well...a time to count my blessings for being here this time of the year and get out of my normal routine and schedule. This is a time for me to stretch myself in so many ways...and trust me, I have already been quite flexible in some circumstances. One of the most rewarding feelings thus far was getting home from both my school and internship on the tube and using my map. Although this is an easy feat for some, this was a deep concern of mine before entering the country. No longer can I call dad to ask him where I am or which direction I should go...it's up to me to get my self from point A to point B and somehow not get lost (but when I do, I'm sure it will be a great story to tell later).

Another thing I love to do is people watch. Now out of all places...London is prime showing for some eccentric people. Between all the lovey-dovey couples, to the little british children running around, to the people who are bound and determined to beat you when getting on the tube...it's simply great! I must say it is quite weird to be 2 inches away from a person and not a single sole speaks. Definitely out of my comfort zone when I am smelling some major body odor on a person so close...yet I cannot speak to them for I fear they will think I am a crazy american (well I suppose I am at some times). I have loved getting to see a melting pot of cultures poured into this one location and getting to appreciate the life of a Londoner. Always on the go, yet takes time to enjoys the little things.

Anyways...Back to my day-I had my history class (which should be fun and interesting) then journeyed back home to my flat to spend the rest of the night going on a run with some of my flatmates and planning some trips over the next few weeks. OHHHHH and to top off my day, I received a nice little letter that was awaiting me upon my arrival. Can I just say how much I LOVE snailmail...although the internet is a must, sometimes i just wish we could go back to this old form of time and effort writing. Continuing on...This weekend we are hoping to take a Buckingham Palace tour as well as see some museums, the next weekend it looks like FRANCE is on the horizon, then a few weeks after that it is SPAIN and MOROCCO then off to ITALY and GREECE for fall break. Sounds crazy, I know! But I am sooooo excited. We are in the midst of booking flights and planning itineraries and I love it...something about planning it by myself with one or two people makes me feel so old and accomplished! **If you have any tips about places to go that I HAVE to see, please email me or leave a comment!

Then today, I went back to my internship where I had a bit more to do this time and then came back and went on my same run. It was simply wonderful to go out on the streets of London by myself to think and let out some endorphins. I love outdoor running...it's much better than the Elon treadmill I have decided. Then I fixed the best dinner that reminded me of home...I baked some chicken on the stove and made a salad and rice with a side of fruit...YUMMMM.Tonight we went out in our town for a bit and met some great London locals. Everyone was so nice and we had such a great time! Tomorrow I finish off the week with classes then will hopefully come back and enjoy the rest of my day doing some homework and booking flights! Check back soon for some pics of my weekend adventures :)

And last but not least...I have a bit of a surprise to you because you are such a faithful viewer (or maybe not). Here is a grand tour of my little Flat so please enjoy!

Oh Wait...There's Big Ben!

I am starting to feel more like a Londoner now…well kinda. Yesterday, I woke up bright and early to head to Hillsong Church with my flatmate Jessica. I heard before coming here that I needed to check this out because of the great worship and preaching…and I am so glad I did! Although there was a guest preacher from America (go figure), it was nice to have someone that reminded me of home. It was a great service and it definitely brightened up my day!

Afterwards, we met up with the rest of our flatmates to stroll around and get lost in London.

We all decided to break up to do our own thing, so me and two of my flatmates (Kirsten and Barrett) decided to go around town to check out some London fashions. And let me tell you…there are some unique styles I have never seen in my life. Who knew that shoes could have a multitude of names according to what kind of heel they had! We found a quaint street of great shops and a little shopping mall with vintage stores and more. We all found a little something that would suffice for our first day of shopping.

By 4 p.m., all of our stomachs were rumbling so we decided to make our way to Covent Gardens (a market) to find some dinner. We stumbled upon this great restaurant/pub and

were able to eat great food (protein)…I got a chicken pie with veges and a pastry-boy was it just what I needed! After a two hour long dinner, we decided to continue to venture

around aimlessly to see what we might discover. Next thing we know, we ran into Fleet Street where the legend of Sweeney Todd comes from…there was even a barber shop! As we strolled some more we ran into BBC then we kept on going and oh wait...there was Big Ben-What a success! It was around 7 p.m. and we decided it was time to go home to

relax a bit before our big first day of internships.

After a full night sleep, I woke up around 8 a.m. to get ready, eat breakfast, and pack my lunch for the day (PB&J, apple, and carrots). I headed off with another Elon student named Perri for our internship at Global Radio News. We reported around 9:45 (15 minutes early) and met our supervisors. Although today was not as busy, I am looking forward to going out and shooting with my flip video and accomplishing other tasks! I am now just getting back and am about to make some scrumptious dinner...then off to Primark with the girls! I am also really looking forward to classes tomorrow to see what they may hold! Stay posted for how classes go and what other Shea shenanigans might occur...

Going, Going, Gone!

These past 3 days have been full of grand adventures…what a whirlwind of tours! On Thursday, we took a tour around my neighborhood of Maidavale and saw the local canal, Regents Park, some local pubs, and other sights.

Afterwards, I finally went grocery shopping and spent 30 pounds (yikes), but I suppose it is just apart of moving to a new country. The girls in the flat decided to hang around after and play it nice and easy for the rest of the night…well until the fire alarms went off. One of my flatmates was trying to bake some chicken and it ended up catching on fire. We opened all the windows and somehow managed to turn off the alarm…so hilarious but a bit scary at first. Good thing the firetrucks didn’t come! On Friday, we woke up early for another coach tour around London to see touristy sites such as the Tower of London, London Eye,Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, etc. I LOVED riding around the city and seeing all of the intricacies that make it the vast historical place and cultural center that it is. After this we took another tour around our classroom on Bloomsbury Square and got a glimpse of Trafalgar Square…I feel like London never ends and there is always something new to see each and everyday. After this, we went out to eat a a great mom&pop restaurant at Picadilly Circus and enjoyed eachother’s company then decided to head home to the flat for the evening.

Today we woke up bright and early for a trip outside of London until Salisbury, Avebury and Bath. Salisbury was a cute and quaint town (kinda reminded me of Beauty and the Beast) and had an amazing cathedral that is the tallest in London. This place also holds the Magna Carta…the English laws that were first established. I love seeing all of this history right before my eyes! Next we were whisked away to Avebury to see the stones that were mysteriously placed thousands and thousands of years ago…it still remains a mystery as to how they got there, but there is speculation that it could have spiritual application. I walked around for a bit with Sam and got to hang out with some random sheep and take pictures with the stones then we headed back for the bus. Lastly, we went to Bath where the Romans took over in an estimated time of 75 A.D. There were still ruins from their bath which was amazing to see…also the spring was still working producing temperatures over 150 degrees! We were able to spend time walking around to get a feel for the city and it was simply wonderful! We all packed up after a long day and called it quits for the night. I finally got to bake a pizza for dinner (although our oven doesn’t work…I had to use another flat). Tomorrow we have our first official free day so Jessica and I are waking up to go to Hillsong Church…SO EXCITED!...then we may do some shopping in Camden Gardens and other cute markets. Watch the video below for clips of each area of visit!

Overall, this trip has been great thus far. My internet is a bit fault at times and there are time when I miss America and the little things…but then I remind myself that I have this opportunity to be away from my norm for a whole three months! How exciting and blessed am I to be able to stretch and grow as an individual as well as gain new friendships. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remember I am in a new country out of my usual routine…I am so excited to start traveling and seeing new things! For now, I need to gain some rest and de-tour myself from these past few days! Stay tuned for some major differences I have encountered between British people and Americans…

This is a montage of Regents Park near my house, Salisbury Cathedral, Avebury Henge, and Bath...Enjoy!

Please Mind the Gap...Cheers London!

So I am finally here after my journey from good ole’ Raleigh, NC to London, UK. It’s hard to imagine that I was in the USA less than 24 hours ago…and now here I am in a completely different culture! As I woke up this morning to pack up all my belongings to last me a full 3 months, I was slightly nervous I wouldn’t finish everything, but thankfully my parents were there to help me out every step of the way. Once I arrived at the airport around 3:30pm, it was time to say goodbye to the parents and walk alone to my gate and wait for my flight. While at the gate, I began talking with a girl that looked my age…come to find out she went to State and was studying abroad in Wales this semester-what a blessing to find someone who knew exactly what I was feeling!

It was finally time to board my flight…needless to say I was in the very very back of the flight where all of the lovely flight attendants cook the food and make a whoollle lot of noise in the process. BUT it’s okay…I was able to squeeze in 1-2 hours of sleep. Unfortunately I slept right through breakfast, but atleast I was able to sleep a little bit. We arrived at Heathrow an hour before expected arrival…so here was the scary part. I had to somehow get myself from there to my flats. Thankfully, Sarah (the girl mentioned previously) was there with me to go through customs and baggage claim and we wished eachother safe journeys and went on our way. I successfully boarded the Heathrow Connect (quite interesting to try handling 2 huge pieces of luggage as well as a hiking backpack that collectively weigh more than I do). Once arriving there, it was time to hale a Taxi. I was a bit apprehensive at first but the next thing I knew a cute little British man pulled over to help me out! We pulled up to the flat and all I could think of was how exciting it would be to call this my home.

I finally rallied up my luggage, found my way in and reunited with my lovely roomies. With an hour left before our orientation, I was able to unpack all of my belongings then head off with the group to the Anglo-American School. This was quite the adventure but we found ourselves there about 30 minutes later! Orientation went well…sometimes a drag because I was extremely tired, but nonetheless exciting because I am in LONDON! We were able to grab a quick lunch break (Subway…yes I know it was American) and look around for some cheap cell phones to potentially use while here. We finished out the day talking about our internships with our coordinator then headed back to the flat around 5pm. The rest of the day has been great to just hang out with the girls in the flat…there are 7 of us in all! We figured out internet connection (obviously) and fixed some dinner. I am about to call it a night so I can catch up on some sleep and get ready for tomorrow! We get to take a walking tour of our neighborhood as well as the city I believe! The rest of the week is full of day trips to various places and some free time to do what we want. Next week we begin internships and classes…so excited! Although I do miss home and Elon, I am so PUMPED for this semester to see the places I will go and the people I will encounter. I already LOVE rainy London and am so excited to be here! Stay tuned for upcoming pictures and maybe even a video of my flat!

Up, Up & Away

So here I am in my lovely house in Wake Forest and I am about to take off for my direct flight for London! I am nervously anticipating my arrival as I will be all alone to find my way in the city to my flat. I will be sure to post once I have arrived so stand by to see my initial thoughts and feelings to the big city. Goodbye south...HELLLO London in less than 24 hours!