Return Home

I woke up this morning and was excited about getting to go home, and sad about leaving. I wouldn’t change any part of my trip or the people I met. It’s one of the things in life that causes you to grow and learn. But of course after being in another country for 6 weeks I’m ready to get back to my normal life and food. Also I thought about how long today was going to be and home much I had to carry. I got up about 6:45 and got ready and packed the last of my stuff up and then got checked out and headed to the tube about 7:45. I was actually ahead of the schedule I set out for myself. But that was a good thing. Heading back seemed a lot easier than arriving here. I ended up having to pull my bag which was about 55 lbs (I was concerned about this) and then carrying two bags that totaled about 50 lbs. It made the walk to the tube seem like forever but I made. I had to go down 17 steps which wasn’t too bad and then I got on my last tube ride. I arrived at Paddington (went up two escalators) and ended up catching the 8:33 train, planned on the 9:33 train, and then it was about a 25-minute ride to the airport. The train was pretty cool and I’m glad I got to ride it at least once here. 

After arriving I headed to the lift and went to departures and found my gate for United Airlines. It really didn’t take to long to make it through. You do the self-check in and get your boarding pass printed and then you continue to the baggage drop line and while you are in it you do the immigration process. Then you continue to check in. I got to the counter and I was concern about my baggage weight but it didn’t seem to matter. I was done within a minute and moving on to security. I will say security at this airport is extremely efficient because I made it through within 10 minutes. They have baggies at the beginning in case you forgot and various bins for the items that are not allowed. For the detector you don’t have to remove your shoes unless there is metal on them, which is pretty nice. And the people just seemed nicer and not like they were trying to rush you like I’m used to back in the states. 

Because of everything being so efficient, I ended up making it to the gates by 9:45am and my flight isn’t until 3:20pm. This just meant I had plenty of time to eat and relax. Having to race against the clock was not something I wanted to do today so I didn’t mind having to wait a couple hours. Additionally it also meant the tube wouldn’t be crowded with the tourist on the tube and make it more challenging with my luggage. 

And after sitting in the airport for a bit I realized how big the airport actually is. In terminal 1 alone there are 90 gates. In the airport there are 5 terminals overall. And you have to actually take a bus to get to another terminal. But for terminal 1 being at gate 1 and needing to get to gate 77-90 it is about a 20 minute walk. Easily beats out Wichita airport. 

So during my extra time ended up writing this blog and then I went to the exchange counter but I ended up not having enough change to be worth exchanging, but the lady gave me larger coins because I mostly had 1 and 2 pence. Then I wondered around to find some food and just look around. I ate at a place called Giraffe and it was actually pretty good. Then I found an area to sit down because I still didn’t know what gate I was at, and I read and people watched for a bit. Then I figured out my gate number and headed down there. It took me about 10 minutes to get there because it was clear on the other side. Then I waited for the gate to open and about 2:45 I boarded the plane to head home. The flight went pretty well. I ended up watching Fast Five three times because I didn’t have much else to do. I ended up having the pasta and it wasn’t too bad. Also I sat next to a girl that was the same age and from Michigan who studied abroad in London as well. So we had plenty to talk about for the flight. I would say I enjoy the flight back more. 

The flight was supposed to be about 8 hours, but we managed to make it to Chicago 45 minutes early. I then had about a two hour layover. But when I got to the airport we first had to go through immigration which didn’t take very long, then we had to grab our luggage and go through customs which didn’t take long either. Followed by re checking our bags and the lady would tell you what gate you needed to go to. I was at terminal 5 and had to get to terminal 3, so I got on the cta train that goes around the airport and got to terminal 3. Then I had to go back through security and I was finally back into the airport. It was pretty easy to find my gate so I decided to grab some food from McDonald’s that was close by. One thing I learned in London is not all McDonald’s are created equal.

After being on a plane for 7 hours, the 2 hour flight was a breeze. Just before 10pm I landed in Wichita, I found my mom, and we grabbed my luggage and headed home. And I had her bring me a Gatorade, which is one thing I really missed from here. 

Overall I would say it was a pretty successful trip and I really enjoyed it. And thank you to everyone for reading my blog!!

Last Day in London

Overall my last day was pretty good. I got up and went to Buckingham Palace. It was definitely worth the money. I got to see the State rooms which were all unique in their own way. Then on display was Kate’s wedding dress. It’s pretty cool that I can say I’ve seen it in person. They also had a few of the wedding pictures on display and some were taken in the Throne Room, which I got to walk through. Buckingham isn’t open year around, only when the Queen isn’t there. She is currently in Scotland for holiday so it’s open to the public.

When I got to the Buckingham I had to stand in line to get my ticket at the box office, then I had to stand in another line to wait to get into the line to go into the palace, then about 10 minutes until our time we made it to the last line. When you get tickets you have to pick the time of when you want to go because you go in large groups so there are  not millions of people everywhere and you can actually view everything. And I heard them say they were sold out for the day so if you didn’t pre book the tickets, you weren’t getting in. So when it was our groups turn they let us in, and first we had to go through security, similar to the airport. Then we picked up our audio guides and away we went. We got to go through 19 state rooms and they were all magnificent and very different from one another. It took about an hour and a half to make it all the way through. Following the tour I stopped at the café in the garden and had a Frasier (strawberry type cake) and some hot chocolate. I was going to have tea but changed my mine. Either way it was still great. 

 

After leaving Buckingham I was headed towards the tube station and ended up walking through Hyde Park Corner and I stopped and took some pictures. Then I realized I was by Hyde Park, the largest park, and I ended up wondering around it for a while. I saw the July 7^th memorial dedicated to the people who lost their lives on July 7^th to the tube bombings. After that I looked at the map to see if there was anywhere else interesting to find and I found the 9/11 memorial dedicated to the UK people who died. Oddly enough on the James Bond walk we went through the park where its located by the US embassy. But we didn’t get to go up to so I went and took pictures. Then I realized I was actually just two blocks away from Oxford Street. And after wondering around for two hours I realized that I had went quite a ways. Luckily it was nice out so I didn’t mind. I ended  up then walking down Oxford Street and I stopped and got a cookie at Ben’s Cookies, tastiest cookies, and went down to the Oxford Circus tube station. Then I headed back to my room.

I ended up doing a bit more packing and rested a bit. Then about 5:20 I got ready and 5:50 I headed out. We had our API farewell event. We met up at the tube station and ended up going to an Indian restaurant on Brick Lane. It was an experience. A large part of the street was Indian food. And the people who worked in them would stand outside and try to get you to come in. It could get a little heated between them when they are trying to get customers. The Indian food wasn’t too bad. At this point I really just miss the way food tastes back home. But it was fun to get to have dinner and reminisce about the trip and our director was wanting feedback on what we thought to help for the future students. All of us are glad we came and we all gained friends along the way. I’m going to miss them. And our director, Rachel, and assistant director, Karen, were a great help and made our experience even better. API was a great pick. And I definitely gained a lot of real world experience that will help me in the future.

After dinner we headed back and a couple of us planned on getting ice cream, but it ended up closing and we missed it so we just walked back. It was only about a 15 minute walk so it wasn’t too bad and we got to see London at night. When we returned we all hung out for a bit before having to say good-bye because we all left at different times in the morning. Then I went back to my room and finished up packing and headed to bed.

Last day in London

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Final Day of Class

Today was the final day of class for the second session. I went to campus early and printed off my reflection paper and cheat sheet we could use for the test. Then I went and sat in the classroom and studied until we got started with the test. It took me a little over an hour to complete. It had 8 sections and then there were various questions under each section. Overall I felt pretty good about the test and think I did pretty well. My grade will be divided into half test and half (presentation, reflective statement, story board). And here pretty soon I will find out how I did.

After completing my test I got on the tube and headed to Paddington Station in order to scope it out and find the ticket machine and what platform the train would be leaving from. So I got the run down for Saturday. Additionally I will go up one lift, down about 15 stairs, and then up 2 escalators, so really not that bad considering I will have luggage.

Once I got that figured out I headed back to my room and just hung our for a bit. I laid on the bed and rested. Then about  4pm I got up and got ready for the farewell party for Westminster. There was snack, wine and prizes. We ended all getting a Westminster key chain and study abroad shirt which was really neat.

Then a couple of us headed back to our our dorm. We ended up deciding to drop off our shirts and then go to the pub across the street. We all ordered a drink and one girl and I ended up slipping soup. And it really wasn't too bad. Today was a pretty calm day. It did rain so that kind of put a damper on this and made it a bit chillier. But tomorrow is supposed to be warm again.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Buckingham Palace and attend the API farewell dinner. And of course enjoy my final couple days in London.

I will say I have definitely missed everyone and I'm excited to see everyone!!!

Day of Packing

Today for class we went over our presentations and then reviewed over what will be on the test. We managed to get done with class around 11 which was nice. I ended up coming back to my room and eating lunch and then I worked on packing.

Packing took roughly about 4 hours because of everything I had to manage to fit back into my suitcase because I didn't want to check a second one. I plan on having two carry-ons. I'm am quite amazed I got everything to fit though. It will be close to the weight limit so we will see on Saturday. And of course it is humid today so it made my room rather warm while I was packing. I had my windows open and fan on but it didn't do much. I can't wait to get back to where I have an A/C again. And I course I couldn't have managed it without the help of mom on Skype. Even half a world away she is pretty helpful. Thank mom!

After packing I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then began working on my cheat sheet for our test tomorrow and then reviewing over all the information. Based on what she was telling us I could tell their testes are set up very differently because I asked how many questions there were and she wasn't sure. Then she explained that there are 8 questions but there are sub questions to each of them and she wasn't sure in all how many actual questions there were on the test. But I paid attention and understand the material so I think it won't be too bad. I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow!

Also, after the test tomorrow I plan on making a test run to the train station for Saturday so I know what I'm up against with my luggage. And then tomorrow night is our farewell event for Westminster.

Cheers!

Presentation and Harry Potter Walk

I practiced quite a bit last night for my presentation and it definitely paid off.  When it came to our turn I wasn't even nervous. I did quite well and didn't really make any mistakes. From other classes where we had to present I've learned that actually standing in my room with my note cards and going through the presentation out loud over and over is the only way to get comfortable with it. And working on not saying "um". While watching some of the others group present though I was able to pick out some things they could of done better. A big thing you should never do is say that you don't want to be boring, it's one of those obvious things that no one wants to do and pointing it out usually ends up in a boring presentation anyway. It was interesting because I could tell which of my classmates haven't really done many presentations before just from small things being wrong on the slide or how they presented the information. It was a learning experience if anything. And now I just have to write a one page reflection paper and take a test on Thursday and I'm done.

After class I ended up coming back to my room and just napping for awhile. It was hot (for here) again today. About 5pm I got up and ate some dinner and then headed off to King's Cross where we were meeting for the Harry Potter Walk.

The walk was pretty cool and it will be interesting to watch the movies again and be able to point things out and know where the different places are. Our tour guide was pretty cool. She pointed out other random things about various things we walked by such as information about London Bridge and how the bridge today is not in the actual location of the original one, but beside it because at the time it was the only bridge and when the decided to fix it then just built a new one beside it so they didn't have to close it down. Also the statue that was built was constructed in the late 1600's and is the only free standing monument that tall. It is 202 feet because it is located 202 feet from where the fire started. Overall it was a great way to end our walking tours and I look forward to our last events on Thursday with Westminster and Friday with API, both farewell events.

Tomorrow I plan on packing so hopefully all goes well I am I able to make everything fit!

Harry Potter Walk
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Guards

Today I ended up heading to class a little earlier so I could print off my slides for the presentation to practice tonight. And it was a good thing I did because this morning the Bakerloo line had minor delays so that could of caused some issues. After getting to school I printed off the slides and then just hung out in the Library killing about 15 minutes before heading to class.

Class today wasn't too bad, we went over mediation and then we had time to work on our presentations. Luckily ours was done so we just ran through it and tonight we just need to work on our parts. Towards the end of the lecture before going to the computer lab our teacher first decided to move the test to Thursday which means one more day to study, but then she also was saying about going to the computer lab to work on the presentation and story board (basically master slides, what the slide format will be nothing really complicated). This for some seemed to shock everyone in the class. Last week she even gave us an example, but because the computer lab was being painted we didn't work on it then and we were supposed to construct it then. So that night I of course put it together, it took all of 10 minutes, nothing challenging. But today we then spent 30 minutes of class where she had to explain it 20 different ways because no one seemed to know what was going on, I was almost becoming irritated, I'm sure as the teacher was also, because she just had to keep repeating it. Finally she decided to just give us a break and then when people got back she was going to explain it again, I asked if my partner and I could just go to the lab because we had it under control. She was happy someone at least understood so she let us go. Then about 10 minutes later everyone else showed up, some were still confused so we showed them ours because I had already done it and that helped a little. My partner and I ended up running through what we were going to do and then we headed out.

Following class I headed to the guards museum. It was actually kinda warm today, almost 80 degrees (heat wave), so the Tube was rather warm. But I ended up picking the wrong tube station to go to because I ended up on the backside of the barracks and had to walk all the way around to get to the guards museum. It wasn't a big deal and I knew where I was, just hot outside. It's funny how I've learned the central area so well and I'm able get around quite easily. So I finally found the museum and unfortunately you can't take pictures outside, but I got a couple of the area outside. It was a really cool museum and I enjoyed it.

Just outside the front door they have a little kid outfit and I just had to take a picture because he looked so cute in it.

Some things I learned were 5 regiments and they are differentiated by the different color of flumes (flume goes in their hats) and number of grouped buttons. The 18th century is when they began having the foot guard regiments. And the regiments are Grenadier, Cold stream, Scots, Irish, Welsh foot guard regiments. Originally the Irish chose green for obvious reasons until they found out the welsh already had that color so they picked blue because A plume of St. Patrick's blue was selected because blue is the color of the mantle and sash of the Order of St. Patrick. The most interesting I learned was that the Queen at age 17, while she was Princess Elizabeth, became the first woman colonel of the Grenadier foot guard regiment.

Afterwards I decided to go over to St. James which was nearby to find the guard where you are able to stand next to him and take a picture, but when I got to the post no one was there so I'm not sure why he wasn't there or if they still have someone there. I ended up walking back to the other side and semi taking a picture with on of the guards. There was a fence up and this was as close as I could get, but it'll do. It was an adventure.

Then because of the heat and everything I ended up getting a headache so I headed back and laid down for a bit. I felt a little better afterwards when I got up. I ate some dinner and then worked on what I was going to say for my presentation. So I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow!

Guards
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