London is my Neverland

"London is my Neverland" is the quote written on the wood boards on the bottom of my bunk bed!
Underneath it reads: Don't leave London without kissing an English boy and skinny dipping in Wales.
No, I haven't done either of these things, but in the 3 days I have been here, a lot has happened so here we go.

All of us have definitely experienced some culture shock since we have been here! Everything is so different, I feel like I am on a different planet, not just on the other side of the world.
Here are a few things that are fun and different about England:

Fries are called "chips".
Men have pointy shoes&tight pants&wear scarfs.
The world has shrunk--everything is small.
The accents are incredible & very hard to understand over the a loudspeaker.
The money looks like monopoly money.
People drive on the opposite side of the road (luckily there are signs painted on the ground telling us to look a certain way on EVERY corner).
The tube isn't as sketchy as everyone says it is.
Elevator buttons go from floor 1 to -2 and -3 ect. when going down.
The food is horribly bland.
The wifi in Europe is awful.
McDonald's is a real restaurant & has real flowers in vases on the tables.
Its freezing outside, but only when it rains, other than that its bearable...thank heavens for umbrellas.
Post office boxes are red instead of blue.
Coin changing bureau on every corner.
Post cards on every corner.
Taxis dominate the roads.
Fish pedicures that eat the scum off your feet.
Dogs wear clothes.
Gas stations are under buildings & not common at all.
Hair laser removal is EVERYWHERE--I guess they don't like hair?
Telephone booths look just like they do in the movies.
Tube stops & double-decker buses are everywhere-no big deal.
95% of the population wears black coats here.
They give you change in coins, never dollar bills.
Most people I come in contact with aren't English--its a mix of culture!

Day 1: The flight was long, luckily I got some sleep and the Scottish gentleman that sat next to me was normal. The flight went well it was getting officially across the boarder and into the UK that was interesting. I was questioned about who I was and what I was doing for 4 months and had to show all my documents...the English are sticklers.
It was a miracle I found my baggage, the train and then found a taxi to take me to the BYU London Center all the while carrying two very large heavy bags and a 20 lb backpack!
Getting dropped off at the center was surreal. It is something you imagine is going to happen but never think really is going to. Make since? Anyway, check in involved meeting 33 girls and 6 boys I didn't know and unpacking. I will admit a few tears were shed missing home, but it soon went away with great roommates and the girls I live with.
The rooms are bigger than I thought. I imagined something super tiny. There are 7 of us in one room in bunk beds with one empty bed! I need to take some pictures of my room and post them--coming soon! :) We all got together for dinner and after went out to explore the city and pick up toiletries at a local store called Boots--just like Walgreens! No one slept very well the first night from jet lag, but sleep came and our first morning in London arrived!

Day 2--Orientation was given in the morning for over 2 hours. All of us were jet lagged and had a hard time staying awake for that long. But it was good to learn about the center and what we were going to be doing for the next 12 weeks!
In the afternoon we ate out for the first time at a place called Nandos. It was Brazilian, so our exposure to English food for the first time was still yet to come and let me tell you its just like they all say...its bland and way overpriced!
We then ran errands and got familiar with our surroundings downtown walking in the rain (as to be expected)!
Thursday night brought joy and meaning to our study abroad for the first time. A group of 12 of us decided to have some "firsts". We took the tube for the first time down to the other side of town and got off right by the Big Ben and Parliament! It was our first time going to see the touristy sites and the sites that are in all the movies! We walked right out of the station at Big Ben and and within view was the London Eye and Westminster Abbey!




After taking lots of pictures, we walked down to the bridge that is close by..no not the London bridge, but this is the bridge that Voldemort's followers destroy in the beginning of the 6th movie (Lindsey Anne this is for you)!





We made our way past the London Eye and headed toward Trafalgar Square. But before we got there we saw so many fun things including Shakespeare's Cafe and Double Decker Buses! There was one that did ghost tours--Mom I thought of our trip to Boston and our experiences on our ghost tour! That may be something we need to do before we leave. Trafalgar square is absolutely beautiful. It was fun seeing the beautiful fountain in front and taking pictures as a group!













A ride on the tube home ended the night just perfectly--we were exhausted and slept so well!



Day 3--For the first time we did some site seeing as an entire group of almost 50! At 10am we left for the Tower of London and the London Bridge! This was an amazing trip, the only downer was it was POURING rain the entire time. We will have to go back to see it all in the sunshine (if that ever happens around here). We never crossed the London Bridge, but we took pictures in front of it! I have yet to cross it--but I'll "cross that bridge when I get to it" :) And it was neat because before we went in for a tour, we got to see Big Ben in the daylight (or clouds) but not the dark! Wow...London is just a beautiful city!





We then all split up and took a look around the Tower of London area. We went into the main tower and saw all sorts of neat displays about the previous kings, the armor they wore, and saw old original artifacts...







After that we saw the tower where they kept all the prisoners. King Henry kept his wife prisoner there for committing adultery and she was later beheaded in the square just outside the tower. The tower was not originally meant for prisoners, but with people being held their (most sentences ended in death) it became a feared place! Then we read and saw where the two princes of England were murdered. They were only age 10 and 12 and were heirs to the throne. There is huge conspiracy about who actually committed the murders, and it was interesting to read all about it. My favorite part was seeing the crown jewels! Unfortunately we weren't able to take pictures, but they are amazing! It is unbelievable the detail--I can only imagine what they had to cost.

As a group we took the tube to our next stop--Westminster Abbey! I LOVED going through the abbey. It is so historic and filled with memories for all sorts of famous people like Shakespeare, Jane Austen, all sorts of previous kings and queens, Charles Darwin, ect. This is where they hold coronations and it was the abbey where Princess Diana's funeral was held. It is also the location of the royal wedding happening in April, and preparations are already being made! I have lots of pictures outside...we weren't allowed to snap photos inside, but I had to get the Jane Austen shot--thats for you Mom :)








Today has brought even more sites to see--I don't have pictures up yet but they will be in the next few posts! We went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. The queen was at the Palace today so many people were gathered to see what was going on! After that we walked through Hyde Park and saw sites like the arch! It was a long,chilly walk (Hyde park is HUGE), but a good one. Hyde park looked very different from what I imagined. I expected lots of bushes and greenery and it was just like a picnic park with trees and flat grass with paths! We stopped at the weirdest museum on the way home called the Serpentine. I wouldn't recommend it, but we have to see it for our fine arts class. It showed movies of really interesting things and we were happy to get out of their within an hour--assignment #1 for school, check!
Tonight we made our way to the temple stop which is on the other side of town to see a production called Woman in Black with the entire group. We got very lost and ended up running up and down the streets of London to get to the theatre in time. We were late, but they let us enter when the scenes changed. Surprisingly--it was really scary! It was a great production, and a good experience I would never had if we hadn't gone as a group.
After the play was over, we walked to Covent Gardens just nearby. This place is filled with tiny tiny shops and food and live entertainment outside. We found a small place that sold soup and ate while listening to people perform. (Yes, the food is terribly bland)! After that we walked around and window shopped, making our way into the largest Apple store in the world before making the trek home on the tube!

Things are going so well here in London (as you can see)! The sites are great, activities are fun, and all of the BYU students here make this trip and once in a lifetime experience complete!--I will post pictures soon of today's adventures. London is a city that no matter where you look there is something to see and it is just beautiful. Though we are still early on, I can tell time is going to pass quickly, so we are making every minute count. I know by the end, London will truly be my Neverland!