Fan girl.

Be prepared, long blog but if you want to hear about a weekend full of magic, adventures and some self discovery then I suggest that you bear with me and my rambles!

Friday morning was filled with chaos. I awoke to my alarm at 7:00 a.m. snoozed it and had the internal debate of "if I sleep 10 more minutes then I will have to take a quick shower...10 more minutes and I will have to skip breakfast...10 more minutes and I will have to scrunch my hair instead of straightening it" but those extra 30 minutes would prove to be the best decision to get me through the adventurous day that lied ahead. The day called for: missing the Harlaxton shuttle, forgetting confirmation tickets, Bri leaving her camera, Bri and Elloit missing the train, realizing Haley and I did not know where our hostel was, searching for addresses, directions and underground stops on the 15 minutes of free WiFi that the train offers, taking on the tube station completely on our own, running up the Underground steps and arriving to the next train before anyone else. All before 1:00 p.m.!!

I've looked forward to this weekend since the beginning of the semester. Dubbed the "Harry Potter" weekend, my friends and I planned to go to the Harry Potter studios to relive our childhood "classic" series to the fullest. I remember the anticipation felt all over the world as each book and film were released. The first book was released in 1997 (I was 5 years old) and the first move in 2001. When it comes to books, my childhood memories will be filled with thoughts of a far off, magical world...yes I know it's fictional but I mean I do live in a castle, well almost!
The studio taught me that:
1. The sets where the scenes of the Great Hall, Gryffindor Common Room, boys dormitory, Snape's potion class, the Burrow and Professor Dumbledore's office are smaller in real life than they appear on screen.
2. The Great Hall floor is actually stone and the room does not have a full ceiling.
3. The posters hanging on the walls of the common room are actual drawings from the child cast.
4. Hagrid is played by two people, one being a ex-rugby player who is 6'10".
5. The books in Dumbledore's office are British telephone books covered in leather.
6. The wand boxes in Olivander's Wand Shop are hand painted with the cast and crews names on the outside.
7. There were full time animal trainers staffed for the creatures department...think Hedwig, Fang, Scabbers, and Crookshanks!
8. The stone sculpture in lobby of the Ministry of Magic was HAND CARVED!!
9. The castle is really a (large) model that fits in a room.
10. and my personal favorite, there is a box of Cheri-Owls on the Burrow shelf.

There were people of all ages, from all over the world that came to visit this studio. It goes to prove that J.K. Rowling knew what she was doing when the idea of a young boy finding out that he was a wizard came to life.

Out front

 

Recognize these?

 

 

After reluctantly leaving "Harry Potter World," Haley and I decided that we wanted to visit Trafalgar Square since neither of us were able to the first weekend that we were in London. This is where this trip started to inch towards one of my favorite parts of my Harlaxton experience. We decided to get off the tube at a station near Trafalgar and then walk where ever we felt inclined. After realizing Trafalgar Square was roped off for a concert later that night, we decided to find Big Ben...a 180 turn and we saw him dominating in the skyline and headed that way. We eventually made it to Big Ben and wandered around Parliament, the London Eye and the walking bridge cuts over the Thames River. While walking, Haley and I laughed about how we were conquering London all on our own. Dubbed the "Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb" of the group, most of the time we let the others decide where to go and just follow. In fact, Jenny looked quite shocked when we told her we were going to find our hostel by ourselves earlier in the day. We kept talking about the feeling of independence that we felt had grown inside ourselves since leaving good ole' Bowling Green less than three months ago. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be conquering the streets, the tube system, finding a hostel and simply loving a big city like London!

We eventually made our way back to our hostel, the London Backpackers. We wanted to have an early start the next day and were exhausted from all the traveling that day. We got checked in and headed up to what would be the sketchiest hostel room that we have stayed at thus far. We flipped the lights on to see 5 sets of 3 tiered bunked beds...that's right a maximum of 15 people could stay in our room, oh and it was mixed gender. I claimed the top most bunk (since I'm used to it anyway) and carried ALL my stuff up with. While I was changing in the bathroom down the hall, the guy on our bottom tier asked Haley for cigarette papers before leaving a stash of weed just sitting on his bed. I was very uncomfortable sleeping in this room but luckily it was only for one night. I mean, everyone has to have some sort of sketchy hostel experience while studying abroad...right?

The next morning we had plans of heading to Portobello Market but a downpour made us rethink our plans. We decided to head to Oxford Street's Primark. Think Forever21 on STEROIDS. I have never been in a store with more clothing options/people in my life. I was wondering why I kept seeing people trying on clothes over top of their clothes throughout the store until we got up to the dressing room line...it was at least 30 people deep and completely robotic. The workers stuck a number plate into the wall, typed how many clothing items you were trying on in and then counted everything when you came out of the room. It was definitely an experience and after about an hour and half of being in the store, Haley walked out with TWO items. I was just to overwhelmed to even buy anything!

We eventually headed towards our second main goal of this London trip, a boat tour headed for Greenwich which houses a museum for the prime meridian of the world. When I went to Ecuador last winter I was able to visit the equator and straddle the northern and southern hemispheres and after finding out the prime meridian cut through England, I had to visit there. I mean who doesn't want to say they have straddled all the hemispheres of the world! The boat tour itself was very interesting. We were able to see many of the big sites of the city from the view of the Thames River.

Greenwich is a wonderful little city...from what we saw at least. Haley and I high tailed it to the museum because we thought we were running behind on time. The slope started to increase and before long we were running up a hill, much like Western's! Let's just say we were both heaving at the top. We didn't look through the museum as much as some, but took some fun pictures straddling the line. Fun fact: there is a green laser that beams a light out along the line for up to 15 miles!

Top two are from the prime meridian & bottom two are from equator.

 

We were both exhausted on the train ride home but the weekend was one of reflection. The English countryside, from the view of a train window, is something that I will never forget. I looked out to see men walking through their fields, church spires lining the skyline, a rainbow stretching across the horizon, terraced houses that are filled with the love of an unknown family, the bluest of skies littered with puffy, white clouds and the greenest of grass as spring nears everyday. I really can not believe how much I already feel like I have grown as a person since being here. I can't wait to go home and take this independent spirit and make plans to travel to places all across the U.S. Seeing beautiful sights throughout Europe is making me wonder what I am missing that might be in my backyard...well you know what I mean. 

I'm so glad that I was able to share this AMAZING weekend with Haley too. We have gotten closer throughout this trip and I can now say that she is a very good friend of mine and our journey's will hopefully not end when we get back to home soil.

The most fun you will EVER have while being completely miserable.

Lake District.

It became a National Park in 1951, was the home to William Wordsworth (Daffodil poem - worth reading), covers over 885 squares and became a T3 favorite place of mine this past weekend!

Ambleside

On Thursday, after some an afternoon filled with roomie bonding, I loaded up on the top of a double decker coach and headed to the most anticipated trip of the semester. In November I tried booking this trip but overlooked which box I checked and ended up #10 on the waiting list once I landed in England. I was very upset but luck was on my side (again) and about a month ago they opened the trip up to more people. Double decker coaches just aren't my thing - they sway like no one business and the noise that is contained with the aisle drives me inanse. We finally pulled into our hostel driveway at 1:00 a.m.ish after a long trip of wrong turns  but we were finally there and able to get off the coach. I stayed with Carly, Erin and Jackie and we crashed shortly after check in.

On Friday morning we rode the bus into Ambleside (one of the many towns in the Lake District) and headed towards the tourist information center in search of hiking maps. Everywhere in the Lake District is an opportunity to hike and see BEAUTIFUL sights. Erin, Carly, Jackie and I decided to window shop a bit before we left for the trail. Our minds were set on hiking so we soon took off for the waterfall trail. The path along the waterfall was amazing (there's not enough adjectives to describe it)! At the top we ran into a little piece of art, knitting, hanging from a tree...just a little reminder of the hidden beauty that surrounds us. We frolicked around the trail and took plenty of pictures! This was also where I first fell into a river and soaked on leg up to my knee. Staying soaking wet was a common theme to this weekend!

Art in the most unusual places. 

 

Waterfall hike.

 

 We went back to Ambleside and continued our window shopping. I finally found a journal for my Momma: I plan on starting a journal that will go back and worth between us because I want to have the stories that have been told since childhood written down. We stopped and ate bagels and cheese outside of Tesco before going to a little cafe to enjoy Baileys and hot chocolate. That time in the cafe, sharing stories and discussing what we missed about home and what we were going to miss about Harlaxton, definitely warmed my heart. That night 16 of us decided to cook spaghetti in the hostel. It was so much fun chopping vegetables, singing songs and cooking with everyone. We even invited some random people who happened to be in the kitchen to eat with us. I'll never forget every one's laughter as dinner cooked and smiles as those who did dishes snapped each other with towels.

 

Two lane roads that were more like American one lane roads that the double decker coach handled like a pro.

 

Saturday was the single GREATEST day I've had since being at Harlaxton (well that's debatable but it was definitely T3)! At about 9:30ish we all arrived at our excursion garage and dressed in wet suits, helmets and buoyancy aids (life jackets). We really didn't know what to expect, but excitment was radiating throughout the garage. I, along with Erin, Carly, and 16 other Harlaxtoners, followed our guide towards a gyhll. A gyhll is basically a waterfall along a creek, and we were going to climb it! I have never been more excited to freeze my butt off! It is hard to describe how cold the water truly was, my feet screamed in pain when I first stepped in but I tried to keep the smile on my face. I stepped without knowing where my foot would go next, slipped and fell countless times, laughed out loud, encouraged others, others encouraged me and had an absolute blast climbing up that waterfall. My favorite part was when we got to a pool of clear water that seemed to be pretty deep. I climbed out onto the edge of a rock and our guide pushed me backwards into it. Picture trust falling into 30 something degree water. It filled my wet suit, soaked my face and leaked down from my hair onto the back of my neck. It was completely exhilarating!!! I even faced my fears and scaled the side of a slippery rock facing with no harness or anything. When we climbed out of the gyhll my feet were so numb I could not feel the next steps that I was taking, but they kept going forward so I at least knew I was moving.


I stayed in my wet suit through lunch, bundled back up after eating and headed for the lake that afternoon. Kayaking was the next adventure on the list for me. Reluctantly, because quite honestly I was frozen to the bone, I waded out into the water and jumped into the kayak. With frozen hands, face and toes I rowed and rowed to keep warm. We played "tag" in the boats and went from one "orange blob" to the next in the lake. Rain was hitting my face and water was splashing on me from the oars but the scenery was breathtaking.

I'm so bummed I didn't get any pictures of these adventures. I did not trust the whole LifeProof case on my iPhone. The mental images (which are going to be so much better than any picture I could have possibly taken) will have to do.

However, I have never been more thankful for dry clothing in my whole life. My fingertips were white and ached with every movement and my toes felt like they would break off. We made it back the garage and I dressed in the warmest attire that I had left. On the drive back to the hostel I thought about how much fun I had just had. I was COMPLETELY MISERABLE, yet ached for more and more. Adventures within the snow capped mountains and the calm lake was the most perfect "spring break" that I could have ever had.

The whole weekend Erin, Jackie, Carly and I had many bonding moments. I am truly blessed to have made these friends. All three of them are from Kansas and it blows my mind to think that without Harlaxton I would not have met them. We shared childhood stories, ambitions, truths and laughter all weekend long. I will truly miss these ladies when home calls my name in April.

Today was spent traveling back to my temporary "home" here. We stopped in Windmere for lunch and ate at Bryson's. Probably my favorite restaurant thus far. I can't wait to make "bangers and mash" (mashed potatoes, sausage and onion gravy) when I get back home to the states, I have to keep the English traditions going somehow. Windmere was set on the banks of one of the lakes in the Lake District and we got to see boats docked, swans and ducks swimming and about 20 ice cream shops. Such a quaint little place.

Windmere.

 

 

The Lake District was just what my soul needed. A hostel about a mile from the nearest town and overlooking a lake with snow capped mountains as its backdrop. No cell phone signal and no internet to keep me pre-occupied with things from back home. I was able to live in the moment and to enjoy every single minute of it. The memories I made from this trip will be near and dear to my heart forever.

Such beautiful days for such beautiful moods!

Although everyone at Harlaxton experiences homesickness at some point, from missing our families and friends to some missing their significant others, it is hard to go a day without feeling a sense of happiness surrounding you. We live in a beautiful manor house, in the countryside of England, a mile off the main road with some pretty awesome new friends.

One day this past week I woke up with that sinking feeling that the day was going to suck. I was running late to class, overwhelmed by the amount of homework that was piling up and missing my family. However, I opened my mail box up after lunch and had a card from my Mom. She is definitely a first grade teacher...with stickers decorating the outside and everything. The card wasn't much but it was a reminder that they were thinking about me. It instantly brigthened my day and was reminder that there is always a positive in each day.

The following day I woke up and had no choice but the be productive, I had a paper due by 5:00 and still had some major tweaks to adjust. I sat in the floor of my room (on a blanket fort), with the window opened and jammed to some country music. I am still unsure how those ideas flowed out of my fingers but I finished the paper in no time and I feel fairly confident about it!

My room mate, Carly, came in at a perfect time and we decided to go on a walk. There was about an hour before dinner and it was such a pretty day outside. The weather was cool but the sun was shining and the sky was crisp blue. It has become habit to check our mailbox sometime after lunch in hopes of some kind of snail mail communication. I wasn't expecting anything particular but was stoked to see a package slip in box 76.

I went up to the receptionist and received my package from an unknown source. I opened it to the funniest card with a picture of horse smiling and a small present from Jalyen Lee. She bought and sent me a gift without even spilling the beans about it, something that I could literally never do. The gift was a bracelet with a charm of St. Christopher (the patron saint of travel) on it. Little did she know how important St. Christopher is to my family. My dad wears one around his neck (whenever the chain is not broken but that happens a lot) from my Mom. This act of complete kindness for Jalyen was again a little reminder that people back home were thinking about me.

This whole positive outlook continued yesterday when I agreed to bike into Grantham instead of riding the shuttle. Granted, Grantham is not very far away from the manor, but for me this was big thing to do. Carly, Jackie, Jake and I jumped on the bikes after lunch and headed towards the canal. It was such a pretty ride next to the flowing water against the brightness of the day. I of course huffed and puffed the whole time, the whole out of shape thing has hit a new level, but I made it. We ventured around Grantham - going into book shops, to the knitting store for me and to ASDA before returning back to the manor. The trip altogether was 8.2 miles but I felt great after the ride! Last night us girls had a movie night and lots of laughs were shared while watching "Friends with Benefits". It is great to be blessed by so many new friends!

Harlaxton is giving me so much more than just an international experience filled with school and travel. This place is teaching me to see the beauty in every day, and to love each and every situation that I am placed in. I hope to continue this PMA (positive mental attitude, thanks Carly for getting this stuck in my head) once I go back home in 2 months. Yeah, 2 months. How insane is that!