Tea Time!

Today, I met with a few girls from my school for a cup of tea at the infamous Harrods.

If you have no idea what this dear store is like, Google it for sure. Or just imagine a Macy's... but 10 times more fancy and better! For instance, the four story building featured numerous restaurants, themed elevators, and free perfume in the bathrooms.

So we went to the fourth floor and enjoyed afternoon tea. Considering the expense required to enjoy such an event, I will not be rushing back to do this immediately! However, the finger sandwiches and scones made it so worth it. It was also an experience to put milk in my tea. From the adorable desserts to the tiny sugar cubes, everything was done to perfection.

Every day brings more and more stereotypical English experiences.  But I enjoy my new home increasingly each day.

I am so thankful to be able to explore, travel, EAT, and live in such a vibrant city. This will be an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life. I love this city more daily but sadly, my time decreases as my love increases.

I truly thank you for following along. From your prayers to your kind words, I greatly appreciate you joining me virtually on my journey. If there's anything you'd like me to address here on my blog, be sure to let me know.

So after my tea experience, I headed home for dinner and some studying. LSATs will be coming sooner than I can imagine!

Hope you all had lovely Saturdays. Make sure to take some time and drink tea!

Stonehenge & Salisbury Cathedral

At 8:30 or so this morning, four coach buses departed from the school and headed on the 2&1/2 hour drive to Stonehenge. It is West of London, basically out in the middle of nowhere. As we define borders by states in the US, they use counties more frequently. So we headed to a nearby county to do some exploring.

They warned us, before we ventured out, that it would  be freezing right by the stones. They are in the middle of a field and there is basically no shelter from the wind. Boy, were they right!

Side note: If you click on any of the pictures, it will make them bigger for you. Just thought you might want to know. 

This is the cathedral we visited. It boasts the highest steeple in England. I think they said it was over 400ft tall - kind of incredible to look up at when you are standing right next to it. 

We had a lovely day - with some sun peeking out now and again! It was nice but still a tad bit chilly. We were all pretty excited to wander into the church and be warm for a bit.

View of the steeple from inside the courtyard. 

Posing the in courtyard. Notice the Poundland bag (that's their dollar store here)

Hallways of the magnificent church. It is part of the Church of England 

Inscription on the fountain. 

The clouds made for a beautiful backdrop. 

Fountain in the center of the church. Recently put in for the 800th (?) anniversary of the building.

The stained glass surrounding the building was beautiful. It is said there is a window for every day (or hour... I can't quite remember) of the year and an entrance for every month. 

Sneak peak of the inside:

Ceiling

More GORGEOUS windows!

There were graves surrounding much of the church. This was the grave of Jane Grey. 

This is the heel stone at Stonehenge. 

Stonehenge!!!

Here's me! :)

We explored this old building in the town of Salisbury. 

With this magnificent staircase!

And this old courtroom, which was used until a few years ago. 

Side note: It is TkMaxx here... not Tj. Thought I'd share that tidbit!

Overall, we had a gorgeous day filled with travel and sightseeing. It was great to see the English countryside, which was a lot like I predicted it to be. Enjoy! 

Nighttime Exploration

After a day of class and signing up for the Love London Weekend, we went out exploring after my last class ended. We figured the Eye and Big Ben must be beautiful at nighttime. So we ventured out on the Tube to explore these sites.

Sorry this isn't much of a post but my day was filled with reading (I'll give you a book review when I finish it), classes, and various walking. So enjoy the following: Finally got some pictures of myself visiting the sites!

Tomorrow, we are off to Stonehenge. Expect there to be millions of photographs and stories to share! I can't wait! 

Hope all is well at home. 

A few pictures!

Photos include: cover of the nightly newspaper, National Portrait Gallery, my first time using an umbrella here, and Otto! I found a sticker from giving tours in my pocket and had to share!

Religion, Identity and Power

Today was another school day. But it was unlike any school day I have ever experienced in America. Sure, we jetted off on a school bus to various local exhibits, parks, plays, or museums during my education in the United States but never have I had actual classes conducted in a museum or other historical location.

My history class spends Mondays discussing a particular time period in British history. On Wednesdays, as I said before, we head out into the city and visit an "object" that relates to that particular time period. I spent my morning in the National Portrait Gallery examining portraits drawn of different kings and queens, following Henry VII. Never, in my life, have I spent an hour sitting on the floor of a museum listening to someone lecture about a period in history with the object they are discussing directly behind the professor. We sat on the floor in front of one of the most famous portraits of King Henry VII and discussed the relevance of the portrait and how it translated into the way he ruled England.

One of the coolest parts of the gallery, that I saw, was the portrait of Shakespeare and Kate Middleton. (I know, two completely different time periods). This gallery features the controversial depiction of Princess Kate. It was neat to see, and sorry, I don't have a picture of it as photography was not allowed. I plan on returning and taking a picture of the Shakespeare portrait. People who know me may have previously known me as someone who hates museums but this trip is helping me to appreciate the significance of these visits.

I then grabbed a quick lunch and headed to class #2. This class, Religion, Identity, and Power is incredibly thought-provoking and unlike anything I have ever taken before. My roommates and I spent the night discussing how classes here at SULondon are some of the most interesting, well run, and thought-provoking classes I have ever taken. I truly believe I will learn more in this semester than I have in many classes/semesters so far. The way professors run their classes, the questions they pose, and the information they present is so unlike anything I have ever experienced. I go to class with an eagerness to learn that I have never felt before! I walk out of class wanting to share everything I have learned with anyone who will listen. (Sorry mom or John, you two usually have to listen to me recap what I learned that particular day.)

We spent that class period discussing what religion is and different ways it can be practiced. Although I am a devout Christian/Baptist, this class allows me to look at my beliefs and other religions in an entirely new way. But I believe this will further my beliefs and prove to be very interesting. Some of the topics we are set to discuss are really exciting to me, as I find it interesting to learn as to why people believe certain things. Don't worry - I'll share some of what I learn with all of you!

We (my flatmates and I), again, spent our night at our local pub watching soccer and having some chips (french fries). We enjoyed conversations with locals and some delicious cider. We have an awesome roommate relationship and all enjoy spending time with each other. This makes for a pleasant living situation and a nice comfortable space.

Lastly, my proud moment of the day? Rode the tube all by myself! This might not sound like the biggest accomplishment but for little Hannah, it was pretty momentous.

Well, that's all for now. Keep checking in!

Typical Tuesday

Sadly, there's no fun song about Tuesdays to start off my daily blog post. But today was a fun day!

I started off my morning being woken up by our cleaning staff. Yes, we do have weekly housekeeping. They come in every Tuesday, apparently very early in the morning, and do a basic cleaning of our apartment. It's really nice to have our bathroom cleaned and bathmat replaced! They do a great job of cleaning and are incredibly nice people. I was, however, awkwardly on my computer in the dining room as they were trying to clean the table. 

After that, I ran to pick up a package from the school and attempt to find another two pocket folder. Oh wait, couldn't find one of those here... Apparently American school supply essentials are not as necessary over here. Here's to surviving an entire semester with one folder! Also, for your daily visual, imagine me walking fifteen minutes carrying an Amazon box the size of my upper body. Yup, that happened. 

So after that, I had a nice leisurely afternoon and headed to class around 4:55. My European Union class was incredible! My classes here are some of the most interesting I have ever taken and I truly appreciate being here for the STUDY part of study abroad. We spent the class period discussing how he met his wife, his various beliefs, how he rides a "motorbike," and how he does not use his mobile phone. (Your British language tidbit of the day - they do not call them cell phones here. It is your mobile phone. And no, not the way you would expect to say that. Mow-bile is the pronunciation they use here. Weird, huh!) We then introduced ourselves and considering he did not know where my hometown was, he wrote on his attendance sheet that I am from nowhereland. The cutest moment of the class was when we was able to recall the exact minute that he met his wife. So we all oohed and ahhed then learned about 20 minutes world of information regarding the European Union. This class definitely set out to be an incredibly interesting one, but sadly, with loads of reading to be completed. 

One of my goals of studying abroad was to focus on my academics. A lot of students use study abroad as a way to party all the time (yes, I did just post a picture of the single glass of wine I had at the pub tonight and yes, I will adventure on the weekends) but that's truly not my goal. I would much rather spend my time and money traveling/exploring the amazing city we are lucky to live in. So because I am not spending every night going out, I will have a lot of time to focus on academics and really immerse myself into the courses I have chosen to take this semester. And so far, (2 more courses to go) I absolutely love them. 

After a quick dinner, we headed to the local pub and watched a football (soccer) game over there. We spent about three hours there, just all chatting and having a really nice time. It was fun to go out and do something during the weeknights. 

Sadly, that brings me to the end of my update today. It is about 11:15 and I'm headed to my room to watch a bit of Netflix. Side note, the catalog here is quite different... there goes finishing Gilmore Girls! Hope all is well in all of your worlds. Check back tomorrow for more! 

Football

Watching football (soccer) at the pub down the street. Daily update coming soon!

1 Week and 1 Day

Today is one week since we left America to embark on our adventure abroad. To say the past week has flown by would be an understatement. Honestly, the first few nights were hard. The word "culture shock" is thrown around quite frequently but no one explains to you how sad it can be sometimes. Not that the culture is so entirely different than ours but as I've said before, I'm from a small town and living in a city is quite different. Although you may be surrounded by people, you might be missing home or conveniences or people. The first few days were slightly hard due to my lack of preparedness - I only had small amounts of shampoo, conditioner, soap etc. with me. Imagine little Hannah scouring big London in search of her favorite shampoo. ( I didn't find it - found a cheaper brand- you're welcome mom!) However, I promise it became easier day by day and I truly do enjoy every day I have here.

So thanks mom, for letting me go on what is becoming a truly life-altering adventure. I don't know what I'd do without your support on my trip - can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Maybe you're wondering... What's the 1 day about in the title of this post? Well today was the 1st day of school I had at SULondon! I've been anticipating this day for a while and the day went without a hitch. Obviously an important part of studying abroad is the first word, studying. They warned us our classes would most likely be more difficult than we expect. However, my first two classes seem to be right along my alley!

The school was not like I pictured it to be (I'll upload some pictures of classrooms in a little bit). For example, classrooms don't have desks. But heck, I like working at a table much more than the miniature desks where your notebook doesn't fit on any portion! Instead of having a whole campus, you have one building with a pretty small student lounge. If anyone from SUAbroad is reading my blog, please increase the size of your student lounge if at all possible. It can get quite crowded! :)

 My first class is regarding the History of London but is taught through 11 objects. Basically, we learn about different sections of history through studying various pieces of architecture, portraits, gardens, etc. We end up visiting all the objects on Wednesday mornings. I'll make sure to take pictures each week and this week, as we are heading to the National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday morning. I'm really excited to explore different portions of London with a guide. As much as I like exploring on my own, it can be quite nice to have someone explain to you everything you are seeing.

After a break, including a nice nap and lunch, I headed back to the school for my second class of the day, Sports in the UK. It's taught my a female lawyer (who is now my role model) and she leads a dynamic, lively discussion. We will be visiting places such as Wimbledon, doing a sports walk through London, Oxford v. Cambridge boat race, and some different soccer/rugby matches. One of the main reasons I came to study in London was because of the sports scene and the potential to immerse myself in the sport culture here. This class does just that for me and I believe I will love every second!

I think studying abroad is going to be vital to my personal and academic life. Personally, it is forcing me to grow more independent and not be fearful being by myself or completing every day tasks alone. The first time you walk to the grocery store in London was a bit daunting but is now a typical occurrence. Academically, I am hoping to work to make connections with some of our sport guest speakers and remain in contact with my professor. I believe her personality, abilities, and expertise could turn her into a valuable mentor!

So here I am, one day complete! Our classes here run 15 weeks but one week is our break and another is finals. So we really end up only having classes for about 12 weeks, considering another week is mostly midterms. I am grateful to have such a short semester but it is sure to be a packed one.  Days seem to go by slow but as soon as you lay your head down at night, you're amazed that another day is finished. I am truly blessed to be having this experience and thanks so much for reading along! Happy Monday!

10th Annual Charity Sports Auction

One hard part about being in London at the current moment was missing the check presentation last night. As many of you know, I spent the last year working on the 10th Annual Charity Sports Auction. This event is hosted by the Sport Management Club at Syracuse University. It is a silent auction which takes place in the back-court of the Carrier Dome during a men's basketball game. All proceeds from the event are donated to a charity in Central New York selected by the club members.

My co-chair Brooke and I spent the last year overseeing nearly all of the aspects of this event. This year's event took place on December 6, 2014 during the SU v. Saint John's basketball game. With over 20,000 individuals attending the event, we were set to achieve our goal of raising over $40,000 for Make-A-Wish Central New York. This would break the record of highest amount achieved through the charity sports auction and raise our grand total to over $250,000. We had over 500 items on display and the crowd seemed to enjoy the event greatly. There was also an online auction, many advertisements sold, and an after-the-auction sale. All proceeds from all of these portions were combined into our final total.

Last night was the check presentation during the men's basketball game. Although I was not able to attend (for obvious reasons, aka London), I am so proud that my co-chair Brooke was able to do so! I was able to live vicariously through the Snapchats and pictures some of my friends took of the presentation.

So - without further ado - our final total from the 10th Annual Charity Sports auction is: 

$59,185!

I could not be more proud of the club and all the work they put into this event. Thank you to everyone who supported the event and donated to the cause. We can grant around 6 wishes with this donation to the organization. So proud of the hard work everyone put into the event!

Bloglovin'

There's a website that lets you see all the blogs you follow in one steady newsfeed (sort of like Facebook). The following link is unnecessary if you only follow me - just keep checking here. Otherwise, check out the link and you can follow lots of people!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13536023/?claim=87e6zmvsbyg">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Sunday Morning Photos

Here's some pictures from this morning!!

There's writing on the roads to tell you which way to look, clever!

Church

This morning, I had the pleasure of attending Hillsong London. Many of you have heard of Hillsong, as the church which created the extremely popular song "Shout to the Lord" (probably 15 years ago or so). When I saw a subset of that church was available here, I immediately set out to attend it. As many of our weekends will be filled with travels or field trips, I want dot make sure to attend today in order to get the most out of my adventure and be able to attend as many times as I could.

The morning service takes place in a theatre which normally hosts the show "Evita." This is in the Dominion Theatre, close to the Soho district in London. considering it normally hosts a show, you are not REALLY supposed to take pictures but I did so anyway and will share them with you later on. (Posting from my phone is much more difficult then typing it out on the internet. But uploading pictures takes forever considering our internet sucks. So my pictures may sometimes be scattered. Bear with me please!)

The theme of the church is "Welcome Home" and you really do feel at home upon stepping in. I have never been in a church so friendly and welcoming. It was an hour and a half service but truly time flew by. They are very energetic and engaging, especially when it comes to music. My mind was blown watching the band perform. It was packed and amazing to hear everyone singing along. I will absolutely be headed back.

After the service was over, I ran a few errands and got some groceries that I needed for the week. The afternoon will probably be filled with some exploring and getting prepared for attending classes tomorrow. I'm loving London more day by day. I'll update you later on, as to more of what my day consisted of! Look out for some pictures as well!

London Saturday

Hi All! This is my first official weekend spent in London. It's still weird sometimes to wake up and realize I am over here but I am loving every second. Currently sitting on my couch (it's about 8 o'clock) exhausted from days and days of exploring. Time for a relaxing night- so I figured it was time to update you all on how the adventure across the pond is going.

First of all, the food here is so much healthier. Even the prepared meals you can pick up at the local grocery store seem to be more reliable and healthier. The amount of preservatives used in this area are significantly less than that of the United States. This is refreshing for the health conscious girl,such as myself!

Another observation? Everything seems so polite here, as far as signs and people. It is nothing like New York City when it comes to bumping into people or people being blatantly rude. Here, if you bump someone you say you're sorry and move on. People are much more respectful here. When you get off the train the announcer says to "mind the gap" and it is also written on the platform of the station. I find this particularly intriguing because it is a much nicer way to say "watch your step." Every time I hear "mind the gap" I smile a little bit and usually repeat the saying to the rest of the people I am with.

That's all for today's observations but on to today's adventure. We started off our morning searching for a local market which was said to be down the street from our flat. However, it was not in service and we aren't really sure whether or not it exists at all. Our local Tube station is under repair this weekend so we had to find alternative ways to travel - which meant taking the rail instead of the tube. All in all, it wasn't too bad.

We ended up visiting Borough Market - which featured lots of local, fresh food options. It was neat to see everything. I had the chance to try Mulled Wine - which is basically hot wine with a bit of gin. It was an odd flavor for sure but every stall in this large market featured the item. Apparently it's in high demand here.

This is a quote regarding the main river which runs through London. Most of the monumental things to see here are along the river such as the Eye, the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, etc. We stumbled upon the area pictured above right along the river's edge while we were looking for a place to eat lunch. 

This is the view of London Bridge from a bit down the river. Most people expect it to be a quite large, picturesque bridge (I did too) but apparently this is it.  Wikipedia has informed me that the Tower Bridge is not the same as the London bridge! So I think I'm showing you the right one. The sign on the bridge said "London Bridge" (see below). 

This is another bridge in the opposite direction. I have no idea what it is, sorry! But it was quite a beautiful scene! 

Sign on the bridge. I'm assuming the sign is correct!

View from walkway on the London Bridge. 

View of the Tower Bridge - one of the sites we have yet to visit! Lots more on our list. 

This is the remnants of a Palace that was built in the 13th Century ( I did some research, be proud mom!) However it burned down in the 1800s and all that is left is what you see in this photo and the two below. 

More of the Palace. 

Pretty detail though! 

Last but not least, an advertisement for the NFL in the tube station! According to this, NFL is one of the UK's fastest growing and upcoming sports. The Jets and the Dolphins are set to play here in the 2015-16 season. You also see lots of advertisements for California and Las Vegas while in the tube. 

Lastly, we went to some shops on Oxford Street, a premier area for shopping. Lots of the stores you would see in America are present (H&M, Forever21, Nike etc.) but most of the stores along this street are British. We stopped in the pharmacy for some hair clips and for a crepe along the road. 

We then headed over one tube stop to purchase a guitar for Jake. He is now happily playing while I write today's post. Well that's all from today. Tomorrow will most likely be a day of buying books and prepping for our first day of school which is Monday. This semester is going to be incredibly weird as I am used to working and being involved in various clubs/activities all over campus. Here, I am solely a student and explorer. Quite the switch!

Hope all is well with all of you!