Week 17: Final-ly Bidding Farewell

Even though finals, for me, started last Friday, I still had to study for one final…well, final. I spent most of Sunday (5/6) and Monday (5/7) trying to feel better, and of course studying for my Organisational Behaviour final examination on Tuesday (5/8).

Shortly after 10:30 AM on Tuesday morning, I was officially done with the semester! To celebrate, Becca, Rasa, and I spent the day hopping from one Tube line to the other until we hit all TWELVE of them! Why? Just so we can say we did. Serving over 4 million passengers a day, this metro system has been serving the Greater London area since 1863, making it the oldest railway in the world. The lines that we more commonly hit include District, Circle, and Piccadilly; but with this mission, we successfully hit the other nine: Bakerloo, Central, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Victoria, and Waterloo & City.

First, we made a stop off the Jubilee line at the St. John’s Wood station so I can walk them over to Abbey Road. Julie joined us soon after to jump on the Victoria line to take us to King’s Cross St. Pancreas, where the faux Platform 9 ¾ exists. Along the way, we also made our way to the Northern line’s Angel station, which contains the longest escalators in all of Europe, with a vertical rise of 90 feet and a length of 197 feet. On the other extreme, the shortest thing of the day was our Tube ride on the Waterloo & City line, which served more like a tram between Bank (Central line) and Waterloo station.

Notice also the peculiar things that make the Tube, the Tube. From the famous Underground red circle logos found everywhere to the painted on “Mind the Gaps” (and the extremely large gaps) cautions on the floor to the cheeky rubbish public notices to the colorful walls acting as billboards…there is no other metro system I have ever experienced as bizarre and wonderful as the London Underground. We managed to remain mostly in Zone 1, but hitting each of the Tube lines hit our wallets pretty hard too, with an estimated cost of £15. Worth every penny!!!

Later that evening, we (Rasa, Becca, Cloud, Julie, Jessie, Phizz, and I) spent a (nearly) all-girl’s night at the Zoo Bar in Leicester Square. As usual, the fun starts with getting ready and taking pictures *before* we get to the club, while our make-up is still fresh! There is, however, a cute picture of Rasa and me smiling in the club for a promoter floating around on the website.

Wednesday (5/9) was a much slower day for me. Rasa and Julie went to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum with immortalized figures such as William Shakespeare, Justin Timberlake, Marilyn Monroe, Tiger Woods, Whoopi Goldberg, and even the Royal Family (plus many other Londoners, musicians, actors, athletes, comedians, and world leaders). While they were taking photos with life-size wax models of celebrities, I was…packing. (How exciting.) It does take skill, however, to fit my life into two suitcases weighing less than 25 kg each.

Saying good-bye is very hard for me. Rasa’s and my first good-bye dinner was with Tito Rich that evening. He took us to a very tasty Mexican restaurant, where we enjoyed appetizers, a pitcher of margarita, and our own entrees. Living in London was definitely easier because of family. Tito Rich took very good of me (and Rasa too!). Much love and gratitude!

We did not get to go on the Walking Tour on Thursday (5/10) morning, but that opened up the opportunity to speak with the Registrar Office to make sure everything was set with my records (and to hopefully keep a good rapport with the staff).

We (Rasa, Becca, Cloud, Julie, Phizz, and Chris A., and I) then went out that evening to Nando’s for a causal farewell dinner. After first stepping in, I wondered why on earth have we not been here before! Not only was the entire full of delicious-sounding chicken entrees, but there also were fountain sodas! I have not seen one my whole time abroad, and I was awed at the fact that ICE was available. Oh, and might I mention this place was walking distance from the dorms!

Later that evening, we spent the majority of our time in Cloud and Becca’s dorm, refusing for the sun to rise. However, Friday, May 11 still arrived. With all of our bags packed and rooms all clean, we bid farewell to the city we called home the past semester, the city that will never leave our hearts. Thank you London, we will see each other again soon!

Coming home,
Danielle

Week 16: Very Lively 'Dead' Week

One of the perks of working so hard the past couple of weeks is one week off from academic work (before finals, that is). Finals, unfortunately, were Friday of this week for me; not one, not two, but THREE back-to-back finals that I would have to conquer. But enough of schoolwork for now.

Monday (4/30) was a very busy day for us. Becca, Rasa, and I first witnessed (finally!) the Change of the Guards. The gates of Buckingham Palace were absolutely packed before we even got there. We thought we were going to beat most of the pack by getting there 30 minutes prior, but no – there were tourists EVERYwhere.
We did, however, get right up to the gates to watch the guards for a bit before the actual parade. After two hours of being surrounded by so many people, it was a relief to get away and walk through Green Park for a while. We even got a closer glimpse of the guards walking through the park!

Then, as Rasa got a head start on shopping, Becca and I meandered around Trafalgar Square, the heart of London. The obvious first photo opportunity is Nelson’s column, where we even took pictures with the four lions that guard it and fountains that surround it. The southern end of the Square is the true heart of the city – Charing Cross, from where all distances in London are measured. In the background is the National Gallery, where there are two statues. One is of James II and George Washington. The second statue was a gift from the state of Virginia. To honor our country’s first president’s declaration of never stepping on British soil ever again, U.S. soil was sent for the statue to be set. The four corners of the Square are four plinths, a base on which a statue rests. In one of my photos, I caught the Clock Tower (colloquially known as Big Ben), a double-decker bus, and the equestrian statue of George IV, viewed from the North.

Finally, we joined Rasa on King St. and in Piccadilly Circus to do some London souvenir shopping! Of course, we made our way through Hamley’s again, where we shared HUGE bear hugs with Hamley the bear. Rasa and I also scored last-minute seats to that night’s live showing of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. I am totally going to miss seeing live musicals!

After such a busy Monday, I thought that Tuesday (5/1) would be a quieter day. Rasa and I received disconcerting news from her mother that U.S Customs was particularly interested in the boxes she and I were trying to ship home. Renie said that more paperwork was needed before they can allow the boxes into the border.

To get away from the stress that I may have spent nearly $200 shipping priceless items home just so it can sit in limbo, I joined Cloud and Becca in Kensington Park. We spent a leisure afternoon doodling on a sketchpad and even on ourselves. This definitely served well as a distraction for a while J … Later that evening, Becca and Rasa recorded some interesting videos on my camera while I took a shower. Their videos included You-Tube-like renditions of Pop music; some videos even included… Nutella. Yes, Nutella. Only the videos can explain.

The fun continued on Wednesday (5/2) as Christel, Julie, and I took a trip to Abbey Road. Known for EMI’s Abbey Road Studios, a recording studio that has served many performers such as The Beatles, of course. Abbey Road is also iconic because The Beatles named their final 1969 studio LP Abbey Road, for which they also captured their album cover as they used the zebra crossing. Countless tourists, including Christel, Julie, and I, re-enacted this legendary moment before we wrote classic Beatles lyrics on the gate just outside of Abbey Road Studios.

On Thursday (5/3), I finally had to suck it up and face the fact that I had THREE finals the next day. Rasa, Chris A., and I spent some time in Starbucks, which helped me stay up the entire night in the Student Lounge. With Phizz playing World of Warcraft next to me, I studied using the notes that I typed up from my classes.

My first final on Friday (5/4) was for Marketing from 9:00 AM – 12:00 noon, then I had my Management information Systems final from 12:30 – 3:30 PM, and my last final was on Theories & Systems of Psychology from 4:00 – 7:00 PM. My…brain…was…fried. Despite the utter loss of all brain function, I decided to join the rest of the gang for a movie night at the Odeon for the Spider-Man 3 world premiere.

For our last Saturday (5/5), us girls decided to hit up Portabello Market one last time to wrap up our souvenir shopping, which included some knock-off designer gear (shh!). Then, we ended our evening with a lovely Italian dinner, enjoying each other’s company and reflecting on how blessed we are to have spent the past four months in Europe. Unfortunately, I was not feeling my best later that evening. Maybe it had to do with the sad fact that I have one week left in London.

Almost home!
Danielle

Week 15: Handling & Shipping

Many students believe that there is a conspiracy among professors who assign papers and presentations of have quizzes and examinations within a day or two of each other. I speak from experience; it is SO true!

Like I mentioned before, my MIS and MKT presentations were both on Monday (4/23). I think both of them very well (in my opinion, the best of the bunch!). The time I spent working on these assignments did not leave much time for my Theories & Systems paper, but I spent most of Tuesday (4/24) working on it. I did, however, take some time out to meet and catch up with my Uncle at Starbucks. Then, I spent another sleepless night writing my paper that was due on Wednesday (4/25).

After handling academic matters, now it was time for shipping things home. Considering that we are only allowed two free checked suitcases on our flight back to L.A, Rasa and I decided to buy a couple of medium-sized boxes to send home via UPS. I filled mine mostly with souvenirs from all the places we visited outside of London; and on Thursday (4/26), Rasa and I hauled our boxes back to the store to send to Renie, Rasa’s mom. It cost cheaper to send to same recipient, so our boxes were headed to Bakersfield. I say cheaper, but it still cost over £90!

Afterwards, Rasa and I finally visited the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, better known as Westminster Abbey. This gothic inspired church used to be London’s cathedral in the 16th century and now mainly serves as the coronation place and burial site for English monarchs. Queens and Kings are not the only people buried here. Rasa and I saw graves in the Nave of individuals such as Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, and the Unknown Warrior. Westminster Abbey also served as the funeral site of Princess Diana in 1997. Even though Westminster Abbey is tremendous, after walking through the Chapter House, College Garden, museum, cloisters, and ambulatory chapels, we felt that we saw the majority.

We had to head back to the dorms quickly because we had to get ready for our “Oscar Party” that evening at Nectar Bar. The evening was reminiscent of a “grad night” because of the festivities, including announcing superlative-type awards. From getting ready to walking there to dancing it up to the Tube ride back home – the entire night was such a blast!

Thursday was a great start to the weekend, because our next stop was the Imperial War Museum on Friday (4/27) – after I got out of bed, of course. Christel, Rasa, and I jumped on the Tube and exited on Waterloo (just a quick walk from the museum). After walking through airplane exhibits, listening to disturbing war testimonies, and ‘testing’ submarine communication systems, my favorite part was walking through a garden dedicated to Gandhi.

Before heading out to Portabello Market on Saturday (4/28), I took my camera with us (Rasa, Becca, Cloud, and Christel) to the cafeteria (just to give a true idea of what it was like eating in the basement) and Young Street (our typical walk to the High Ken Tube stop). We also made a stop to shop in Camden Market before heading back to the dorms.

After such a busy weekend, Rasa and I spent our Sunday (4/29) resting and recharging our batteries for the week we had ahead of us. (Although, we did allow a little time for play!) Come back next week to see how we spent our ‘dead’ week!

Your London Blogger,
Danielle

Week 14: Catching up with Richmond

Nearly the entire week of 4/16 was all about school, from group projects to actually going to Richmond (the campus, that is). With only a week left before both my MIS and MKT papers and presentations due, I hardly had time to do anything else. After a really long Monday (4/16), all I did on Tuesday (4/17) was work with my group mates to split up duties for our MIS project. On Wednesday (4/18), I took time from writing papers to bid farewell to the guys who headed back to Los Angeles.

Finally, I was able afford a break on Thursday (4/19) to take a trip out to the Richmond campus, where all the lower division classes are held (kind of like what Doheny is for Chalon). Rasa and I hopped onto the Tube and bus to enjoy the scenery and “real” campus feel of the gardens and structures that we saw in the brochures. We also got the chance to buy our Richmond gear before heading back to Kensington.

It was back to the books on Friday (4/20), as my best MKT group mate – Tina – and I spent most of the day locked in her room working on a creative brochure for our group project. The deadlines for my work were coming up so fast that I even passed on a trip out to Brighton (pebble) Beach with the girls on Saturday (4/21). *Sigh*

With one last day to prep for two group projects, I hardly had any sleep on Sunday (4/22), but hopefully it was well worth it…

Wish me luck!
Danielle

Week 13: Family & Friends

Elbert Hubbard once said “no man (or woman) needs a vacation so much than the person who just had one.” I can definitely attest to that! I woke up Monday (4/9) feeling physically better. I felt even better throughout the week when I found out during both one of my Monday/Wednesday classes and my Tuesday class that deadline for looming assignments had been postponed. Enough about schoolwork though.

I spent Wednesday (4/11) packing very lightly for my first (and only) solo trip. After class on Thursday (4/12), I took the Tube to Heathrow for by British Airways flight. Never again was I going to anywhere else for any other carrier. I even enjoyed a whole row all to myself (not that the flight was very long; nevertheless, I was very comfortable). Before I knew it, I was in Copenhagen, Denmark!

My arrival was a little anticlimactic, however. Before I could meet up with aunt and uncle, I had to pick up my luggage (more like my smaller-than-a-duffle-bag size bag). After everyone else on the flight left, the carousel continued to go round and round, but my bag was nowhere to be found. So, I got in line and reported my luggage as missing at the desk. Then, I was greeted and comforted by my aunt and uncle. After a bit more investigation, we decided to head out of the airport.

Let me just say – Denmark and its language are absolutely beautiful. Copenhagen was the first city (outside of London) that I could truly see myself living in. Han Christian Andersen is the pride of the city, so it was only fitting that our first stop was —what has been commonly called— Den lille havfrue (the Little Mermaid). After just a brisk walk along the water in Churchill Park, there she was. A solemn young figure modeled after the title character in Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale. Why did I describe her as solemn, you may ask. Read the original version. You’ll understand.

Then, my aunt and uncle treated me to a traditional Danish dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. I had a very delicious white fish topped with a mountain of baby shrimp sandwich on rye called Stjerneskud (Shooting Star). Obviously, this was not your regular ‘American’ sandwich. Danes do not just stick things between two pieces of bread. They lay out the pieces of bread and stack the ingredients on top. They call it smørrebrød (open sandwich). Delicious!

Upon our arrival to their house—it really hit me: I have nothing else to wear except the clothes on my back. Lucky for me, my aunt still had some of my cousin’s clothes (whom I will introduce more formally later on), which she offered to me (even more luckily—they fit!). Later that evening, we stopped by a family member’s house on my uncle’s side. I sat their in awe (and pitched in when I could) listening to cousins, aunts, and uncles easily transitioning from English to Danish to Tagalog and anywhere in between. Most of the girl cousins were my age and graciously made plans to take me out in a couple of days.

I woke up Friday (4/13) morning to a familiar smell. I walked into the kitchen and was warmly greeted by my aunt who had cooked a traditional Filipino breakfast of white rice, eggs over easy, and tocino. A true taste of home! My elation continued when my aunt informed me that she had been calling the airport and they found my luggage! So, we headed back to their airport to reunite me with my bag. We came back to the house to drop it off and shortly after, we hopped onto the bus (gotta love convenient and reliable transportation, especially when gas is over 10 Krone a liter!) It costs about 1 U.S Dollar to buy 5.6 Krone. Therefore, 10 Krone is about $1.80. So, it would cost $1.80 to buy 1 liter of gas. One liter is only .26 of a gallon. To buy 1 gallon, you would have to buy about 3.8 liters. So…you would have to pay nearly SEVEN dollars for ONE gallon of gas in Copenhagen. No wonder everyone bikes around here!

We ended up on the world’s longest net of Strøget (pedestrian streets) lined with shopping and dining. My cousin Michelle, better known by her nickname Cielo (pronounced Shell-o), met up with us to, well, walk around. Soon, we reached the memorial anchor to mark the beginning of Nyhavn (New Harbor), which actually is not new. In fact, it was built in the 1670’s, making it the oldest part of the Copenhagen harbor. We all grabbed a Danish-style hot dog from a pølsevogn (sausage wagon), where a vendor squirts the requested condiment into a roll with one hole at the end and then inserts the sausage, which is thin and long. (I decided to try sennep, the traditional, sharp flavored, golden brown mustard of Denmark. That mustard definitely had kick!)

Before we could even finish our hot dogs, we were in a boat for a tour of the manmade canal trimmed with boldly-colored and picturesque houses and restaurants. (Famous Danes such as Andersen and H. Holms lived in these houses; number 67 and number 55, respectively). We also passed by the old Stock-Exchange building, Holmen’s Church, the Little Mermaid statue, a Danish library, the Viking Ship Museum, the Christiansborg Palace, and much more!

After our boat tour, we strolled over to Amalienborg Palace, the heavily guarded residence of the Danish Royal Family. Denmark’s constitutional monarchy the is one of the oldest and most established institutions. The ‘palace’ is more like a square of palaces because there are four of them: Moltkes Palace (Christian VII's palace), Schackske Palace (Christians IX's palace and residence of Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik), Levetzaus Palace (Christian VIII's palace and residence of Crown Prince Frederik) and Brockdorfske Palace (Frederik VIII's palace).

Lunchtime arrived before I knew it and I could not wait to try another open sandwich. Oh so good! Danes love their carbs because the weather requires it, so I did not feel bad having another sandwich. I definitely earned my meal, though, because our next stop was Rundetaarn (the Round Tower), which was built to serve as an astronomical observatory, student church, and university library. The tower is called round for obvious reasons. What is not so obvious, however, is the unique (at least in European architecture) spiral walk, which winds for 209 meters (more than 8200 feet!). Reaching the top offers the reward of not only the magnificent view of old Copenhagen but also the beautiful 350-year old wrought-iron lattice that surrounds the platform. After wrapping up with souvenir shopping, we stopped by Cielo’s apartment where I met her boyfriend and father of her baby.

Our next stop was a family members’ house for dinner. There, I not only met Michael, his wife Angela, and their son Paolo, but I also met my cousin’s son Benjamin! I kept the two young boys company while also learning more about Danish cuisine, traditions, and even more of the language, which to my untrained ear sounded Oriental in pronunciation and Germanic in vocabulary. We enjoyed a delicious family meal before heading back to my aunt and uncle’s house.

The next morning (4/14), my aunt and uncle took me to a Danish wholesale market (think a smaller-scale Costco) to basically spoil me. (I totally regretted bringing only such a small piece of luggage because I could only get what could fit in it!) I picked out an awesome pair of sandals, a medium-sized purse, and of course—chocolate! Danish chocolate is A-MAZ-ING. Just ask my friends (especially Rasa) because I brought back a box of creamy milk chocolate and white chocolate bars.

My fun just started because I met with the cousins I mentioned earlier and they took me to Tivoli—Copenhagen’s 150-year old amusement park. The old-world carnival-style atmosphere was definitely a treat because there were more than just roller coasters. In addition to an on-site lake, which is a remnant of the city’s moat, there were also fountains and live entertainment.

Later that evening, the cousins and I met up with my cousin Cielo at a pedestrian street, where we had dinner at Hoppes Bar. Then, we headed out to lively part of town where I just had to hop on a bike just so I can say I rode a bike in Denmark. We shared great drinks and conversation before calling it a night because I had to be up early the next morning to catch my flight.

I had the pleasure of hanging out more with Benja on Sunday morning (4/15) before I was dropped off at the airport. I expressed by gratitude and bid my Danish family goodbye and headed back to London, where a different set of familiar faces was gathered.

I did not mention it earlier, but the day I headed out of London was the day that Becca’s guy friends were heading into London. While I was gone, the guys got a chance to see the city and hang out with the rest of the gang. On Sunday night, we all headed out to International Night, a cultural performance of the different cultures represented by Richmond University.

What a week for family and friends! With friends visiting from Los Angeles and visiting family in Copenhagen, I am pooped! With less than a month left of my European excursion, I will spend my time hitting more spots in London, but also preparing to head back home.

See you soon!
Danielle

Week 12: Fools Rushin' Into Ireland

The first week of April definitely had its mixture of everything! Our April Fools’ Day (4/1) was a continuation of the night before. We all made it back to Cloud and Becca’s room for some fun and games. Then it was back to business with preparing for my longest day of the week: Monday. I did however get to ‘refresh’ my hair compliments of Rasa on Monday (4/2) night. Then, summer business was sooner than I thought because on Tuesday (4/3) I rushed to call people from a prospective interview site. I was even able to send a cover letter and resume thanks to London being 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles. Cross your fingers for me; I hope I have an internship waiting for me when I get back home.

Wednesday (4/4) was back to being about being in London. I met up with my MIS group members and you have heard (read is more like it) ramble on about how these group projects are a requirement for all my classes. Each group I have been a part of abroad definitely has its own personality. My marketing group, as I have mentioned before, is composed of 2 degree students and 1 other study abroad student. We have been meeting practically every week sometimes twice a week since the very beginning of the semester. I met lovely ladies in my psychology group who are from other U.S states (Arkansas, Texas) and even another girl from Bulgaria! My organizational behavior group was made up of all study abroad students all over the U.S. ranging from California to Rhode Island.

In these three groups, one has remained constant: I had at least another American student in my group. For MIS, not only was I the ONLY study abroad student in the entire class, but I was also the only American in my group. My other group members were from Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. Our group project was not assigned until less than 3 weeks from the due date of the project, so we had very limited time together. In that time however, the communication was also limited. Not because they did not speak English—they spoke it very well—but because I did not speak their languages. Our first meeting was Wednesday (4/4) and I guess I got a taste of how it is to be left out as my group members first discussed their opinions before answering a question I had asked them. I will not lie and say it was not uncomfortable, but it was a short meeting because I had to head off to Freud’s former home in London for my psychology class.

Sigmund Freud fled to London in 1938 and died a year later in the house now turned museum we went to visit. After perusing the two-story house with the infamous couch and Freud’s collection of items from all over the world, the entire class strolled down the street to a coffee house to chat. Yes, you read right—coffee with the professor. My classmates and I had always been in awe of his wealth of knowledge. We could never discuss this in class because we were always too busy trying to write down everything he said during lecture, so my classmate (with whom I also have for Marketing) would share that exhausted look as we walked back to Atlantic House together.

Thursday (4/5) was Day 1 of my Ireland adventure! Wait. Pause. Let me not get too far ahead of myself. I did indeed have class that morning, as did my fellow Ireland ladies—Rasa, Becca, and Julie. In fact, this little rush I did might have been helpful BEFORE we missed our flight! Yes, of course there were so many factors involved that made us miss our check-in time by TWENTY minutes (like the frustrated girlfriend who yelled at her boyfriend sitting in the front row of the bus already as she hailed a cab or the sheer confusion at the Victoria bus station in general…but don’t let me get into it).

So there we were in Stanstead airport at 3:45 PM as our airplane was barely lifting off. All hope seemed lost, despite our purchase of ₤50 (each) Standby tickets. Then, shortly after 4:30 PM, Julie nearly knocked over an airline employee as she announced that seats were available to the next flight out to Dublin. Lucky that Julie did get us first in line because we were not the only people vying for spots (and it IS quite a challenge to get 4 spots all on the next flight). We were in the clear and arrived in Dublin safely that night.

So what if we missed the Pub Crawl? It was a free event thanks to our membership to ISIC. Besides, after we (FOUND and) settled into our hostel for the night, we made our own stop to a pub (where we named a drink after me) and more importantly, to the local convenience store to grab some munchies. Only Rasa, Becca, and Julie will share my laughs as I try to explain what happened in the surrounding minutes of midnight to kick off Julie’s 21st birthday. However, I will try to explain. Rasa and I were first booked in a different room from Becca and Julie. To get in the same room, we agreed to room that accommodates six people. No one was in the room when we arrived, and still no one was there when we got back with our popcorn, Ben & Jerry’s phish food, and liter of Coca Cola. So who would have thought that precisely the moment we decided to start Friday (4/6)—the celebration of our dear friend Julie’s birth—two strange men would enter and drop their belongings in our room? Awkwaaard.

The rest of Julie’s birthday was quite eventful, despite the fact that we happened to be in Ireland on one of two dry days that the Irish observe. That’s right—no alcohol to be sold or consumed on the day she turned 21. How ironic. But hey—we’re in IRELAND! Our 3-day bus tour kicked off with our first stop at Locke’s Whiskey distillery turned museum. We were able to slide by the ‘dry’ day rules by sipping a shot of some very strong whiskey. Our bus tour continued west to Clonmacnoise monastery founded 1500 years ago by along the River Shannon. Our next stop was simply to grab some lunch from Super Valu, Ireland’s grocery chain. Afterwards, our tour guide let us in on the myth of the ancient portal tomb, Pol na Brone Dolmen.Our next stop was the fairy bush, where Irish superstitions are exemplified. To keep any and all possible fairies, leprechauns, and banshees happy, everyone was to exit the bus and daintily walk the circumference of the fairy bush, very careful not to enter the bush of course.

Hands down my favorite part of the day was experiencing the beautiful Cliffs of Moher. My breath was taken away at the sight of the Atlantic (and the fact that one wrong step can lead to a face-first meeting with the ocean). We had our fun ‘rescuing’ each other from the edge of the cliffs as we ventured further than we were technically supposed to. We made it back safely to our bus in time for our next stop: Flanagan’s Village Hostel, where we enjoyed bowls of traditional (and delicious!) Irish beef stew with soda bread. Then, we found out that our bed situation was again, not perfect. Since one of the beds in our room was meant for two people, we did not want to split one of the couples in our group. So, Julie, Rasa, and I got singles in the same room, which left Becca in a bed next door, full of strangers. Only she can tell you how that night went.

The night was not yet over though. Our tour guide led us on a ‘short’ walk (more like a hike!) to the pebble beach nearby, where we shared quiet moments to enjoy a gorgeous sunset. Then, it got a little too cold for Julie and Becca, so they decided to head back to the hostel. Becca and I, on the other hand, braved out the chill to savor the sparkling sky. For a city girl like me, huge buildings and bright lights commonly overpower the sky; but there were no buildings, no lights, nothing to pail the sheer beauty of the night sky during those moments in Ireland. The utter darkness did have a drawback, however. Becca and I clutched onto each other, as we nearly had to feel our way back to the hostel. The sparkling sky and shooting stars were definitely worth it! I was even lucky enough to get the top bunk with a skylight, and I fell asleep gazing at the stars.

The next morning (Saturday, 4/7), we hopped on the bus again onto the Tarbert Ferry, which took us across the Shannon. That morning, we passed by cities and sights such as the Tralee, Sliabh Mish mountains, Dingle village, and beehive dwellings. By lunch, we reached Coumeenole beach of the Dingle peninsula, known as the site for David Lean’s 1969 film – Ryan’s daughter. After lunch, I was the first of the group to fold up my jeans and leave a piece of my soul – as legend has it – in the water, where it will be waiting for my return in 40 years. After the rest of the gals joined me, our tour guide mentioned how some of the locals were in awe of us (possibly because of our tan skin) and had invited us to a party that night! (Too bad we were leaving...)We headed back on the bus and heard stories of the legendary three sisters and the mystical sleeping giant. Then, it was time yet again to get off the bus in order to hike to the most western part of Europe (a.k.a the closest we will get to being home!).

Before we knew it, we were at our temporary home for the night in Killarney. We did not even get a chance to really settle in before it was time to go out and experience something truly Irish for dinner (lamb chop and potatoes), drinks (Guinness), and dancing (swarming Irish men). After successfully finding our way back to our hostel, our rooming situation was as perfect as it could have gotten – all four of us were in the same room, just sharing with one other girl. As for me, I thought I lucked out again with getting the top bunk with a skylight. Think again. I was too lazy to close the skylight shut and even though I could feel the chilly air penetrating through my blanket. I should have known better to keep myself (especially my torso) warm, because in just a few hours I felt terribly sick for the next 24 hours. Needless to say, I did not sleep very well that night (and neither did my room mates, thanks to me).

Nevertheless, we had to be up early on Easter morning (4/8) and ready to get back on the bus. We were off to receive the gift of gab (eloquent speech) by kissing the stone at Blarney Castle. Now, walking around and climbing stone staircases were already challenges for me that day, but now they wanted turn me backwards upside down to kiss a slab of rock that I am sure thousands of other tourists have stuck their lips?! Eh, what the heck, right? After walking around the beautiful estate, we found our way to some souvenir shops before heading back to the bus. In order to encourage our timely arrival to the bus, our tour guide informed us at the beginning of our bus tour any tardy tourists would have to entertain the rest of the bus with a song. There were only a couple of instances that this happened, which did not include any of us girls. Until, of course, a bit of miscommunication occurred, which left Rasa rushing back to the bus with bags of souvenirs. Despite her efforts, she was handed the mic and accepted a request to sing her rendition of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin.’ Our last sightseeing stop brought us underground, where nature has created an acoustically perfect cave. I still was not feeling up to par at this point, and this sight is difficult to explain, so you will just have to ask one of the other girls to explain.

The rest of the trip was a blur for me. I remember sleeping the rest of the bus trip back to Dublin City at the same hostel we arrived in on Thursday. We did not stay the night though; we just got our things together and headed back to the airport, where I mostly laid in line with our belongings. After being shuttled from the airport to the airplane, we spent what seemed forever in the tiny airplane back to Stansted, where we then had to hop on the Tube back to Victoria in order to catch a bus to High Ken, where we walked our way back to Atlantic House to hike up 3 and half stories into our dorm room, where I finally curled into bed and knocked out. What. A. Trip.

No worries, I felt muuuuch better the next morning. Check out my blog about next week to hear how my trip to visit family in Denmark went!

Gifted with Gab,
Danielle

Week 11: Extra Wicked Mexican Food!

After 6 hours of classes on Monday (3/26), I totally deserved a Wicked experience! Literally! Rasa, Becca, and I went to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to watch the musical Wicked—The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. The musical is inspired from Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which he wrote while living in London. (Totally fitting to watch it here!)

It was back to reality on Tuesday (3/27) as I spent the entire day and night away from room, whether it be in class or in the computer room preparing for a group presentation and meeting with another group for a project. Rasa finally got an appointment with the doctor, who was not able to do anything for her viral infection other than suggest bed rest. What actually helped was Cloud treating her to a Caramel Frap followed by some shopping.

The entire Wednesday (3/28) was dedicated to preparing for my looming psychology group presentation (and when I say looming, I mean 4:00 PM!). My group did well presenting the difficult content of R. D Laing’s book on schizophrenia called The Divided Self.

So, I’ve explained the “Wicked” portion of my title, but what about “Extra” and “Mexican Food”? Thursday and Friday was all about putting in extra hours. I don’t just mean spending more hours on schoolwork, I mean spending extra hours in the classroom! I felt the pain of not starting my weekend on Thursday (3/29) right at 10:21 AM due to my “make-up” lecture of my 3 hour-long class (which was cancelled 2 previous Mondays ago!). MSMC professors, please don’t get any ideas ;-)

After a group meeting early that evening, the gang (which has apparently grown) headed over to Quiz Night at Imperial College. Who has joined us, you ask? Amazing people! In addition to Julie (from Boston; attends Emmanuel) and Christel (from Chicago; attends Eureka College), our new buddies include 2 Richmond degree students and 2 study abroad students—Jess (from Rhode Island; attends Providence) and Chris a.k.a Phizz (from Ventura; attends Cal Lutheran University). Oh, and apparently, we all have “secret” nicknames that start with L—‘gotta’ love inside jokes! After Quiz Night, some of us just weren’t satisfied, food-wise. So what was open at 11:30 at night? McDonald’s! I am not one to prefer fast-food, but I *was* hungry and it was fun because we all collected pieces of the London version of the Monopoly board game.

You would think that I was done with school by the time Friday (3/30) morning came along right? Wrong! I spent another hour listening to a lecture, this time a guest lecturer from AMICUS—the UK’s largest industrial union organization. After that was over, I was finally able to get my weekend started with (by now, you should know) a nap! Afterwards, the girls and I headed to Harrods—the world’s most famous department store. This place is huge! If you feel that you’ve ever gotten lost in a mall, this was ten times worse! (Or better actually!) World-renowned designer products surrounded us at every turn! We vowed to return right before we leave London to pick up a few souvenirs from Toy Kingdom…yes, TOY KINGDOM!!!

Finally, the day I had been looking for ALL semester: on Saturday (3/31), we found Mexican food!!!!! It took us a full hour before finding a place that could seat nine, but it was SO worth it! We (legally and responsibly) enjoyed margaritas along with delicious fajitas, enchiladas, chimichangas, and burritos! Very much needed taste of home!

Speaking of home…I know that May 11 may sound far away, but really—it’s right around the corner! Summer planning is in the works: internships, vacations, becoming an auntie, and oh…my 21st birthday! (JULY 2!) *hint hint* =)

We’re in the final stretch! Stay tuned for two more trips outside of England—Ireland and Denmark!

Hasta Luego!
Danielle