Lost In Translation

Our professor showed us this video today. I laughed. A Lot. Because this is basically my flatmates and I. Something is always #LostInTranslation.

Another lovely London day

Today, Bianca and I spent the early afternoon at the National Gallery of Art. We wondered the halls looking at the famous impressionist work of Van Gogh, Monet, and so many more. We also found the 2012 Olympics countdown in front of the museum in Trafalgar Square- 306 days baby!



After leaving the museum, I persuaded Bianca to walk around with me. We started off towards Big Ben and twice I was convinced that we stumbled upon Prince Charles' living accommodations. The first time, it was a horse museum (but I swear it was the prettiest and nicest horse museum ever! And it looked like the place I saw on tv where Charles and William and Harry live). The second time, it was where the Prime Minister lives! So a little bit closer to Charles? Anyways, the picture below is just a random street but it had the old-style of London buses stopped on it so I had to take this photo.



Then, I had to take a photo of the London eye!



And lastly, Big Ben!



I love these famous British sights but honestly do not know if I will be back there for a while because there are SO Many tourists!!
Beautiful weekend with lovely weather for the most part. I actually saw the sun the past 3 days. And that says a lot for London.

Cheers!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Beautiful day in the park

Today has been an absolutely amazing day filled with coffee (of course) and walking in Regent's Park all morning. After our long induction week at school, we had today off and I decided to spend it at the park. Luckily, today was not grey but blue skies and the sun! Something very special in the city that never sees the sun. After getting my coffee at Costa-the big competitor of Starbucks- I went to the park to explore.

There are public parks everywhere in London and they are so well-kept. They are called the "Royal Parks" and royal they are. The best thing, in my opinion, is walking around and stumbling upon a beautiful, old statue or monument. I found the one below this morning donated in the late 1800s to England from a middle Eastern man to thank and honor the Brits for protecting him and his wife. It was written a little differently on the statue but that is the overall gist of the story. 

Lastly, I found a group of Rugby players practicing. The team looked like it consisted of mostly older men so I was somewhat confused why they were practicing rugby, in the park, at 11:00 on a Friday but I didn't really care as I watched them for about an hour. There is a saying here that, "Football (American soccer is a gentleman's sport played by hooligans and Rugby is a hooligan's sport played by gentlemen." I am curious to learn more about this sport but today I watched them practice basically running into each other and driving the other player to the ground. These guys were also just wearing shots and a t-shirt. No pads, no pants, no helmet, etc. After about an hour, I started feeling like a slight creeper so I left. But tomorrow, my french friend, Charlotte, and I are going to a pub at 9:30 to watch the Rugby World Cup: France vs. New Zealand. I told her that she would have to explain the game but that I would cheer for France. I am sure I will be cheering for Jean Claude or some frenchmen with all the fans but it will be grand.

Cheers!

British things...

Everyday, something happens that I find peculiar, different, laughable, annoying, etc. because it is not "'merican" enough for me. For example, the sinks have two faucets. 

This is something that I find very annoying. Not because I cannot get the perfect temperature but because the "cold" is freezing and the "hot" is scolding. This extreme temperature difference causes my flatmates and I to have to constantly wash our hands in a state of anxiety as we move our hands back and forth as fast as possible so we can attempt to not get burned/ frozen. 

#FirstWorldPain

Other than that, today was a great day filled with coffee, coffee, coffee, & learning an African tribal dance. 

Cheers!

Living with Boys

I have never lived with boys, besides my brother and my dad. It is actually very interesting. Especially since the past 4 years I have been living with girls, girls, and more girls in a dorm and then in my sorority house. I know that if there were 5 girls in my flat and not the 2 girls and 3 boys, we would probably kill each other, but still....I live with 3 boys. Age 20. At university for the first time. WHAT was I thinking?

What I have learned in my 72 hours of living with boys:

1. Boys are Dirty! I knew this but the boys we have are especially dirty. Not necessarily dirty but just do not clean up after themselves. My flatmate, Mang Yin (the Chilean) loves to cook. Unfortunately, he does not like to clean up after himself. It is 8 pm on Monday and the rice, onion, chicken flavor concoction that he cooked last night is still in a pot in the kitchen. We told him to clean it up but he said that it was for the dog and left the flat. We do NOT have a dog!
2. Boys eat. A Lot. & sometimes with weird foods. Exhibit A:

Chicken Cubes! This is what I would compare to the chicken flavoring in Ramen Noodles. A huge container of these mysterious "chicken cubes" is sitting on our kitchen counter because it is used so often that no one bothers to put it away.
3. Boys say whatever the heck they are thinking. This comes to me after, unfortunately, hearing things that I wish I had not heard from them. Anything is game for a conversation topic at any time at our flat and I am learning to just prepare myself for that.
4. Boys are really easy to live with. Aside from #1-3 listed above. These boys are so easy to live with. If I can just get over the fact that the kitchen is going to be messy, it is a pretty easy life and I think it will be a great semester.

Anyways, I went to school today and had a wonderful day! School is basically a fashion show for the majority of the students but I met some great people from all over the world and could not be more excited.

Cheers!

Becoming a Londoner

Growing up in Franklin and attending my private school, I was always in my own little bubble. Even after I graduated and went to Samford, I was still with people very similar to myself and protected somewhat by having christians surround me. I was never questioned about my faith or seen people baffled that I am a christian, until last night.  It was last night that I shared openly with 2 girls that I was excited about going to church today. I think I kind of expected them to tell me that they wanted to come. Instead, I got the response, "So you are like REALLY religious!" It was not necessarily the statement but the tone that went along with it. It was also the first time that I had ever been questioned even a little about my faith in a way that was derogatory. I know that God led me to London for a great many reasons and maybe it was to be placed as a christian in others' lives. 

I attended Hillsong London church in the Dominion Theatre tonight. Hillsong originally began in Sydney, Australia but now has grown across Australia and internationally as well. Hillsong London actually has 4 services every Sunday with each service translated into 2 languages! It is in the Dominion Theatre in London, home to broadway show, We Will Rock You. The theatre, as seen below, is absolutely beautiful. 

The whole day, I thought about church and needing to go. I, actually, have never felt as compelled and determined to go to a church service as I did today. I wanted to praise God for all that He has done these past few weeks and be in fellowship with other christians.
I went alone and sat by myself, and it wasn't until I heard the African man behind me singing loudly with his strong accent that I realized how cool the service really was. I was surrounded by people from all over the world with all different backgrounds that had come together to worship the same God. The next hour and a half was absolutely incredible ending with this verse: Acts 2:46-47 NKJV
        So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

What I took from this verse was exactly what I was feeling. With one accord....sense of oneness....christianity. However you want to think about it, together is better and today was a great day spent with new people.

B&B

So what exactly is a B&B?
A B&B or bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment offering overnight accommodation and breakfast, but no other meals. Typically, bed and breakfasts are private homes with less than 10 bedrooms available for commercial use. 


This past week of traveling, my parents and I have stayed at 2 different B&B's. The whole idea of a bed and breakfast was fairly new to me but extremely popular in the United Kingdom. In a small town, you cannot drive a mile without seeing at least 1 Bed and Breakfast sign. In fact, we often found ourselves in the middle of no where. No services (no food nor gas), no pubs, but a B&B. They are everywhere. Really makes me think about the whole concept as I read that they are usually open all year round except Christmas and New Years. That means, that these house owners/ B&B runners have guests constantly at their house. The guests have a key, they are making noise, they are asking you for wifi passwords, towels, hair dryers, etc.; and the owner has to play "hotel" and "restaurant" at their own house. To me, my house is my home and I can't imagine sharing, but I guess it is a job. And you get to meet some interesting people.


Review of my 2 B&B experiences:
1. B&B in Warwick, England- I previously wrote about it but I will re-cap again. Mama Joy called and made the reservation. She told the owner that we had 3 adults and that we would be arriving around 3 pm and staying 1 night. Upon arrival, we lugged our suitcases up this extremely narrow and winding staircase to the 2nd floor. After that experience, I started taking a smaller night bag every night and leaving my big suitcase in the car. Anyways, we walked into our 1 room for 3 adults. This room had been styled at least 20 years ago and consisted of a double bed with about 2 feet space and then a single bed for me. It had a tv, a desk, and a shower all in the room. Again, I want to clarify that this shower was just  a 4 ft. square in the corner of the room. very weird. and none of us showered that day but waited for our next hotel. The toilet for us to use was underneath the staircase in the hall leading to the third floor. This cupboard under the stairs was tiny and only enough room for a small toilet and an unusually small sink. Good thing we are not a tall family. oh wait.
2. The Badger Towers. B&B in Chiltenham, England- I am currently laying in my bed in the B&B right now. The badger theme has actually inspired me to write this because I am looking at 2 framed badger artworks, a badger plate on the wall, And a badger stuffed animal on the chair. Yikes. My room is a single on the 3rd floor. It is room #7 and I am pretty sure that all rooms contain the same amount of "Badger gear". My room was definitely the attic that has been converted into a guest room. The toilet is in a closet-converted toilet room by itself. The shower is in another converted-closet. Again, I had shower issues. This shower does not have a handle or knob to turn on the water but only a "start/stop button". I just assumed that you pushed the button to start it. Simple enough. After failing miserably this morning with turning on my shower, I resorted to my parents' shower, complete with a normal handle.


I know it may seem like my B&B experience was bad or that I am bashing them. I definitely do not mean to as I find everything to be a memory and funny story. The time here has been lovely. It is kind of cool staying at a random house as a guest. It is also just a part of the Brits' culture. The best part, especially for my parents, would be meeting the other guests at English breakfast: Bacon, eggs, mushrooms, and tomatoes. 


Well, I guess I better go to sleep in my badger room and get ready for my English breakfast tomorrow morning. My mouth is watering already.


Cheers!