View of Oxford from atop the chapel

A London Fall

          I have loved being in London this past week. On Wednesday, I got to see Les Miserables, which after my parents seeing it 3 times, hearing them talk about it innumerable times, listening to the soundtrack, and skating to the music for two years, was a dream come true. I have never heard such powerful vocals and the storyline was so moving. Let's just say I was bawling... If you ever get the chance to see it, it is a must!
         On Thursday after working at the hospital school in the morning, I went with the kids to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Winter Wonderland was a fair themed like a German Christmas village with lots of rides, bratwurst stands, and a skating rink. I had so much fun with the girls and it was a huge success until we tried to get on the ice. Let's just say, they were a bit like Bambi :) It ended up okay in the end, with just two cut fingers and a few bruises...
         On Friday, after another day at the internship, some friends and I visited Harrod's Chocoloate Bar. That was my first Harrods experience of the trip, and it really put me in the Christmas spirit. That one store is like a giant mall, and I loved looking at all the ornaments and the giant stuffed animals. The Chocolate Bar is a small bar with tons of amazing desserts. I got a delicious piece of chocolate cake and ice cream. To die for! Afterwards we walked around Regent Street and visited Hamley's, London's largest toy store. It was five stories of fun. Once again, I loved the giant stuffed animals and the lego Buzz Lightyear. Regent Street is all lit up for Christmas with Narnia themed lights. Walking through the street was truly enchanting.
        On Saturday, I had the amazing privilege of visiting the world renowned, Oxford University. Not only did I visit it, though, I got a tour from Roger, our neighbor who graduated from there about 40 years ago. He knows the town backward and forward and absolutely loves taking students there. When we first arrived, about 9am, he took us on a walk around Christ Church fields to give us a panoramic view of the school. Walking through the nature trail with its winding stream, arching bridge, and colorful leaves, finally gave us a much wanted feeling of fall. We also loved seeing the rowing team out on their morning practice. Apparently rowing is the most prestigious sport at Oxford and as we walked through the different buildings we saw paintings on the outsides which marked one team's victory over another.
           What I didn't realize was that Oxford is not just one college, like Samford, it is comprised of 39 different colleges varying from 80-1,000 students each. The colleges are friendly toward each other, yet they do get competitive sometimes. Roger attended Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis attended and taught. He told us that when he was trying to decided between Cambridge and Oxford, he actually wrote a letter to C.S. Lewis to ask him which one he recommended, and he actually got a 3 page letter back with all the reasons why Lewis recommended Oxford's English program! Later, however, he told us that he never went to any lectures and really only had about one hour of class per week and one paper. The rest of the time he just did what he wanted, WHAT?! He said that nothing really mattered in University until your last two weeks of your 3 year degree when you have to write 9 Essays as your final exit exam.  He said that those grades are the only ones that really count and that they are so stressful people are regularly admitted to the hospital during those weeks! In my opinion, not the best system... Their graduates however, are apparently very successful. My favorite part was probably the chapels Each college had their own and they were beautiful. We ended the day by visiting the Eagle and the Child pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien frequented. It was really a wonderful day, and getting to hear all of Roger's crazy life stories made it very special.
              Today, Mary Evelyn and I took the day exploring parts of London where we have not spent much time and finding some Christopher Wren churches. One of my favorite churches we saw had been bombed out during WWII, all but the steeple. Now a rose garden stands where the Nave would be and the steeple still rises up to the skyline. We also found Samuel Johnson's house, the Royal Courts of Justice, and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (mentioned in a Tale of Two Cities).
           I can not believe that I only have less than two weeks left in London. There is so much more I want to see and do, but I at the same time I am so excited to go home. I am truly thankful for my time here, and am going to try to enjoy every moment I have left.

Lovin' Life :)

I so wish I could have found time to update you all on all the events of the last few weeks! I will try to go back at some point and record them, but for now I just had to write about some of the most exciting highlights!
           I just got back from seeing the world renowned production of Les Miserables. My whole life I have heard my parents talk about it, listened to the soundtrack, and skated to the music, so seeing it in person was a dream come true. Even with all my expectations, I was shocked at the caliber of the vocals and the emotion and passion which the characters portrayed. I have never heard such strong and beautiful male vocals as Jean Valjeans and the girls' voices were absolutely angelic. After seeing the horrors of the life of the poor during the French Revolution, I was really moved to consider the poor that I pass on the street every day. At the end of the play, all the martyrs stand gazing down from heaven pleading to you to join in their cause and it was really very inspiring. The people who fought during the revolution, even the children, gave everything for what they believed in. I hope one day I may be able to do that. This show is a  "must see" for everyone and I would see it again in a heartbeat if I got the chance.
          Another amazing experience I've had recently was visiting the quaint Medieval town of Brugge, Belgium. 4 of my friends and I took an overnight bus last Friday and arrived in Brugge around 8 am on Saturday. We climbed 366 stairs to the top of a 13th century Belfry, visited the Gutonhuse Palace, the Cathedral of the Holy Blood, and many adorable Christmas shops. Also, because Belgium is known for its "frites" (aka original french fries), belgian waffles, and chocolate, we pretty much ate the weekend away :) The fact that it was rainging the whole time helped ;) On top of that we visited a chocolate museum. It taught us the history of chocolate from when it was traded as a Mayan currency, to when it was brought to Spain and exploded across Europe. We also saw a video on the process of making chocolate and it is very long. The best part however, was seeing the president. Yes, I actually saw Barrack Obama, but yes, he was made out of chocolate. I also saw a chocolate Madonna and child and many chocolate cats! To end the tour we saw a demonstration by a chocolatier making truffles and then got to taste one. Belgrade chocolate=the best I've ever tasted! Traveling back we rode on a christmas decorated coach and arrived bakc in London at 4:30 am! Woohoo. Nothin' like being a crazy college student! I will try to share some more fun adventures soon :)

A Rockin' Day...

Sorry, I haven't written in so long! Things have been soo busy, but I will try to find the time asap to record the amazing adventures I had in Ireland and Scotland. As I write this, I am currently riding the national railway back from a day at Salisbury and Stonehenge! The town of Salisbury was a picturesque Medieval town with shop–lined streets, a beautiful cathdral, and a fairground filled with children. We were privileged to visit Salisbury Cathedral, built in the 13^th century, which has the highest spire in England, soaring at 404 feet! It also holds what is believed to be the world’s oldest working clock, dating back 800 years. I am continually perplexed and astonished by the effects cathedrals have on me. I have visited what seems like dozens over the course of the last six weeks, but every one I enter seems more beautiful than the last. Salisbury’s had such a calming and peaceful atmosphere. The ceilings were some of the tallest I’ve seen and the stained glass was magnificent. I loved the feeling of holiness and worship there. I have been bothered in a few cathedrals by the amount of shrines to various saints, which seem to take the focus away from who the building was built to worship. I love being in a cathedral though and imagining God’s voice saying, “This is my house.” If God had a physical house on earth, he would deserve the best of man’s design and craftsmanship, and that is what is so magnificent about these cathedrals. Plus, the cathedral housed the best of the 4 original copies of the Magna Carta!
When we left the cathedral, we wandered through the streets to the bus station where we embarked on a tour to the world famous Stonehenge. It was exactly how I pictured it, a stunning and mysterious monument surrounded by rolling green hills. There were even sheep which were trying to walk amidst the monument and had to be shooed away by the guards. I tried to picture the people who created this monument some 4,000 years ago and grasp that length of time. Our tour told us that Stonehenge is the third “henge” or hanging to stand on that spot. Earlier henges were apparently made of wood and date back to 3,000 BC. The stones are believed to have been carried over from Ireland or a more distant part of England and floated down the Avon river on rafts. After that, the stones are believed to have been transported by rolling along wooden logs. When they reached the crest of the hill, where they stand today, historians’ guess that they were slid into holes, which were slanted on one side, and using levers and the power of hundreds of men were stood upright. No one knows why Stonehenge was built, but it is evident that it’s design is very purposeful. The placement of the stones functions a bit like a giant sundial which works as a calendar for a whole year. Specific marker stones indicate the time of the summer and winter solstices, and throughout the year, one can determine the month based on which stones the sun shines through. The Beaker people must have had a huge presence in Bronze Age Salisbury, because over 500 of their burial mounds are present around the area. Furthermore, there are other stone circles, including the larger, Avesbury circle, which surrounds the entire town of Avesbury. Though I would love to understand how such monuments could have possibly been constructed, the mystery makes the Stonehenge experience so much more enchanting. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lifelong goal, after seeing the circle, because I remember as a little kid, marveling at Stonehenge pictures in National Geographic Kids, never imagining that I would actually get to see it in my life. I feel so blessed that this trip has been full of those types of moments. I am constantly thrown into a state of shock at what I’m seeing, and am so thankful for every one of my experiences here. I can’t wait to get home and tell you all more about it!

Chelsea Hospital School

I have finally started my internship and it has been wonderful the last few days. I am interning at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital school, which works with hospitalized children ages 4-19, as well as community kids who are not able to attend a regular school due to medical conditions. 

       I arrived at 8:30 Wednesday morning, a little anxious and was greeted by my director, Paul, who has an awesome Australian accent! He showed me around the school, which consists of a large secondary and primary classroom joined by a hall and office area. The secondary class, where I spend most my time consists of 5 computers, a camera, television, tables, lots of the kids' artwork and a "chill-out room" with bean bags, a piano, guitars, a projector, and strobe lights :) At 8:45 I met several more members of the team who were very welcoming. Each morning, the team meets and runs through a list of about twenty or so children and their specific needs, who will get to attend class and who needs to be visited bed-side. In order to understand what they are talking about I was given a 3 page list of acronyms for medical conditions! Obviously I've already memorized all of them, not. After the morning meetings, the students start arriving and class begins at 10:00. There are about 10 community students who attend fairly consistently, then there are the ward kids, who are currently hospitalized and come down sporadically when they feel up to it. The first day I got to work with a sweet girl undergoing facial reconstruction through an amazing organization, "Facing the World." You can see her picture on their website, she's the first one: http://www.facingtheworld.net/real-stories/past-children.  She was trying to learn English, but was just really not feeling well, which was pretty upsetting to watch. Sitting down with her was the hardest situation I've dealt with so far. Other than that though, I really enjoyed meeting the other students and helping in any way I could. 

             My second day on the job was the day of the hospital school's official Grand Opening. They moved into a new location at the end of July, but just finished setting everything up. The whole day I was the little intern running errands, making name tags, and meeting tons of people. The grand opening was a huge ordeal with over 100 attendees consisting of parents, hospital workers, politicians, and media who came to tour the school. The director spoke, then one of the students who was a senior spoke about his 12 years spent at the hospital school. He was precious talking about how the workers there were family to him. It made me feel very privileged to get to work with these people. After the ribbon cutting, there were 50 kinds of cake and tons of people to talk to. The best part, however, was that even though it was only my second day, I felt like I was totally part of the team. The students were all talking to me and people were asking me questions about the school and it was like I had been there for years.

           Today, my third day, however, has probably been my favorite so far. We hosted some visiting teachers from Finland and we got to skype with their hospital school there. The kids enjoyed asking them questions about Finland and I learned a lot of interesting stuff too. One interesting fact is that Finland has the highest literacy rate in Europe and they go to school the least amount of hours, only about 20 per week in elementary school and 28 in secondary. The typical school in American is 35 hours  a week. Most of them also speak 3 languages, Finish, Swedish, and English. What  I most enjoyed today was getting to work one on one with one of the 12 year old girls. I went through her history book teaching her about Medieval England, (which was perfect because I just had a class on that Monday). She was so appreciative and it came so naturally, which really made me feel good. It's easy after going long periods of time without actually teaching to start getting bored with the classroom observations, but when I get a taste of actually helping a child, it just lights my fire and reminds me of why I want to teach. 

            In the afternoon, most of the kids were taken to an art exhibit and I worked on organizing the classroom. When labeling supplies I learned some interesting cultural tidbits. The English don't use the word marker, it's "felt tips," colored is spelled coloured, math is maths, and the students had to explain to me the English stereotype  "Chaz" which is like "wanna be gangster." The most funny, however, was when my director was trying to tell someone over the phone that he was just so worn out and he said,  "Yeah, I'm just naked mate, I'm plain naked."  

            Everyday is different at the Hospital School and that's why I'm so excited and, I'm already attached to the kids and it's only day 3. Though at times when I'm cleaning or copying and things are very slow, I know it will require patients, but I think that in the end, it is going to be an extremely rewarding experience.

             

My heart is so full and fluttery right now. Kaylee has now been with my parents for about 12 hours and an email my dad sent said that it could not have gone better! HE said she latched right on and wanted to be held and given piggy back rides and that Mattie has jumped right in to the big sister role. It is hard to be so far apart, but thanks to their pictures and skype I've gotten to experience much of the trip with them. I am so thankful to God that everything went smoothly today and I can't wait to meet my new sister on skype tomorrow!

Life in the Burrow

I apologize for the poor upkeep on this newsfeed, but I have hardly had time to sleep the last week and have not been able to squeeze any blogging in. I do want to share, however, some of my favorite highlights :)
              Since my last post, I have begun to settle in to my new semester home, London, and am actually starting to feel familiar and comfortable. I absolutely love the Daniel House where I live (other than the 99 stairs I have to walk up to reach my room aka the eagle's nest), and I really feel that our whole group here is becoming a family.
              Some of the awesome adventures we have shared include touring the Tower of London (First built in 1078 by William the Conqueror) and seeing the Crown Jewels (awesome crowns, scepters, and jewelry worn by the royal families) and walking across the infamous Tower Bridge. We also were among a privileged few who got to tour Buckingham Palace (it is only open when the Queen is away, 6 weeks out of the year!) The inside of the palace was beautifully adorned with red, gold, and green, velvets, silks, and diamonds. It is just what you would picture of a palace, but with much taller ceilings. PS they have 240 bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. They can hold a lot of people! We also learned about the queen's infamous garden parties she holds several times a year. Apparently during each party about 12,000 guests attend and they consume about 27,000 cups of tea and 20,000 slices of cake. Sounds like my kind of party! 
              I have also visited the infamous Abbey Road studios where the Beatles made their magic, as well as climbed the 540 stairs to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. I have visited Europe's biggest book store, Foyles, which is 5 stories tall, seen Big Ben, Parliament, and even attended a play at Shakespeare's globe theatre. 
            I have so enjoyed living in the center of so much history and activity, but one of my favorite experiences so far was my trip to Dover today. This morning 18 of us traveled to King's Cross Station and boarded a Eurostar to Dover, a small town about an hour outside of London. Dover is known both for the natural beauty of its white cliffs and the historical significance of the Dover Castle. On this overcast misty day, I saw the English coast to be even more beautiful than I had imagined. We were able to take a boat tour which gave us an amazing view of the white chalk cliffs. Afterwards, we hiked about two miles through a beautiful green hillside along the cliffs, to reach the South Foreland lighthouse. After that, we walked about three miles to the Dover Castle. I loved exploring the Dover castle not only for its Medeival significance, but its role in WWII. The castle has been used on and off since its construction by Henry II in the 13th century and today has been refurbished with Medeival furniture, clothing, and even talking holographic characters! My favorite part of the tour, however, was the secret tunnels underneath. Built first in 1797 for defense against Napoleon, they were expanded and turned into a major military hearquarters during WWII. The three levels of tunnels could hold at least 2,000 soldiers, as well as an underground hospital, kitchen, and communication centers capable of running the country from underground if need be. These tunnels are so significant because these were the actual chambers where Gen. Radford planned the attack on D-day and deployed his troops across the English channel to Normandy. Anyway, I don't mean to bore you with my inner history buff, but I just thought it was soo cool! I really was just in awe of my surroundings all day! After approximately 8 miles of walking today, I finally sat down for the first time at an English pub and had some classic fish and chips. Let me tell ya, it was heavenly!
            After an eventful week, I am looking forward to a Sunday sabbath tomorrow. I am excited to visit All Souls church which I have heard so much about. I'll let you know how it goes. 
-As the English say... Cheers!
              

St. Mary's Burrow Church

Day 2: Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Mr. Roger's Tour

My head has been whirling all day trying to take in every ounce of London I encounter. We started off today hearing some safety tips from a Bobby, then heard from Jason Burns, one of the best theater (or should I say "theatre") directors of the English language. He has worked for years with the National Theater and will be taking us to many plays including Hamlet, Swan Lake, and Oliver. To add to his cool factor he's good friends with Sir Ian McKellan (aka Gandolph).
       In the afternoon, we had the privilege of touring our neighborhood, "The Royal Burough of Kensington and Chelsea" with our neighbor Roger. He is a seasoned professor and hilarious old chap, if I do say so myself :) It was a rare opportunity to get the inside scoop on the back roads and who lives where, from a local. He showed us the street of international embassies, Lord Leighton's lavish home, and walked us through Holland's Park. Then, on the way home we got to ride an infamous double decker red bus.
       After dinner, Dr. Sandley took a group of us on a tour of the West End. We took our first tube ride then walked through Covent Garden (aka Eliza Doolittle's market), an area with many street performers and vendors. We walked from there through Trafalgar's Square, past many theatres, pubs, and restaurants then to Leicester Square. It was so fun seeing all the red telephone booths, but sadly they are starting to paint them all black. After that, the Sandley's retired for the night and Mary Evelyn took over as our tour guide. She lead us down the tube where we walked out right at the foot of Big Ben! It was absolutely stunning all lit up at night! After walking across the river and enjoying the view, we decided to head to King's Cross station's platform 9 and 3/4 to see if we could enter Hogwart. It is September 1st after all.
        We finally returned to the Daniel House about 11, and I am exhausted! I'm off to bed because tomorrow is going to be full as well! 9:00 We're off to Buckingham Palace!

I'm Here!

I can't believe the day has finally come. For almost almost a year now I have been talking about and planning for this trip and now it's finally happening! After Daddy and Mattie drove me down yesterday, I met my group at the Atlanta airport where we departed at 11pm. The 8 hour flight was pretty rough considering I had an aisle seat + broken recliner= wake up every 15 min. But, the flight attendant was really nice and gave mw 5,000 frequent flyer miles for having to sleep sitting up.
            We landed at London Heathrow airport around noon and began our trek through custom, to baggage claim, then to the bus. I was constantly shocked and tickled to hear British accents. The funniest thing I heard today was an airport worker say, "The party was just ok, because the DJ was a bit crap." The way she said it just cracked me up. When we arrived at the Daniel House it was very surreal. I had looked at it so many times on google earth, and here it was in real life! Walking into the main hall and looking up the stairs really felt like a movie.
             We received our room assignments and began the hunt. Almost everyone has there own room, but four pairs are sharing a room. I am sharing a room with my sweet friend Susie Walters. All the way up on the 6th floor. There are 2 bunk beds, a desk, 2 armoires and a sink. We have a neat view out our window of the London roof tops!
           After lunch we split up into teams and went on a scavenging tour of the city: buying tube passes, learning our way around and buying some groceries. Later we went on a walk to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. We returned to a dinner of pizza and finished the daunting task of unpacking and making our room into a home. Now that we finally got everything in place, I am at peace and ready to make up for some lost sleep!
         Thank you everyone for your prayers and encouragement, and thank you God for bringing me here safely. Big day tomorrow. Good night!

Psalm 139

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,I know that full well…All the days ordained for me were written in your book  before one of them came to be... 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:7-24

Thank you Lord that you will always be with me!

Getting Ready

Hey Everyone! I am so excited and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to spend the semester studying abroad in London. I will be staying in Samford's Daniel House with 25 classmates and studying history, British culture, music and art, and even getting to experience an internship in a British school! I will also have the opportunity to travel for 3 weeks in Europe including a trip with Samford to Paris and Edinburgh.  I depart Aug. 30th and will return Dec. 17th, so I'm just packing and getting excited! I would love to stay in contact with everyone while I'm gone and share some of my adventures with you. If you have any suggestions of "Must See Places" or travel suggestions I would love to hear those too! Finally, if you want to be penpals, mail me at:

12 Ashburn Gardens
Kensington, Greater London SW7 4, UK

Talk to you soon!
Sincerely, Kelsey