221b Baker Street

So I've been in London for several days now, and we are steadily checking things off our list of things that we must see. Alexandra and I decided that Monday would be Sherlock day! The first thing we did was head off to 221b Baker Street itself. There is a museum and a gift shop there. For the museum, they've taken a flat and have transformed it into the actual flat that Sherlock and Watson stayed in. There is Sherlock's room, Watson's room, the study, Mrs. Hudson's room, and a room containing wax figures of different characters.  I really enjoyed it! The flat had a lot of details that only people who have read the book would pick up on. For example, a book about bee keeping in Sherlock's room! They also took portions of some of the stories and had them written in journal form in Watson's room.

Bee keeping!

Watson's journal!

Sherlock's violin

creepy Moriarty wax figure

After we left the Sherlock Holmes museum, we trekked over to 187 North Gower Street, the other 221b. This is where the filmed the BBC Sherlock! Honestly, there isn't much there except an empty flat and Speedy's cafe (which was unfortunately closed!) But it was definitely worth the visit!

us FREAKING out :)

the other 221b

Oh, and this doesn't have anything to do with Sherlock, but WE FOUND A TARDIS!

TARDIS!

Diamond Jubilee

So on Thursday I graduated from high school! Summer has officially started (even though I've been done with classes for 2 weeks). On Friday I flew to London with Alexandra and her family, and we are here for the next 18 days! Yesterday was kind of rough because of the jet lag, but we were able to walk around Hampstead Heath a little, the area where we are staying.

Pond in Hampstead Heath!

So this whole weekend Britain is celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, meaning she has been on the throne for 60 years. Today a thousand boats sailed down the Thames, and there was a huge fancy ship that carried the Queen and some other members of the Royal family. We, along with 1.2 million other people, traveled down to Central London to watch the boats and attempt to get a glimpse of the Queen. It was absolutely chaotic! People were maxed out in British gear, and Union Jacks and pictures of the Queen were hanging from every possible surface. They were handing out free cardboard periscopes outside the tube station. I questioned how well they would work, but they were actually really fantastic! By the time the boats started to come down the Thames, the bank was so crowded that I couldn't actually see the river. At least with the periscope I could see a white speck that I took to be the Queen and three other specks that turned out to be the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, and Prince Harry.

Yes, we have matching t-shirts. Yes, we're cool.

Some people went all out!

Let's just climb up on top of a building to watch the boats.

On another note, IT'S FREEZING HERE! It was about 100 degrees when we left Houston, and today it was rainy, windy, and never climbed above the mid-50's. It's June. I don't think it got that cold in Houston this past winter. We've been borrowing all of Alexandra's aunt's jackets and scarves. I guess I better get used to this...

Summer???

Well, that's about it. Tomorrow is Sherlock day, and we head over to Baker Street!!!

Updates on St. Andrews, Senior year, and everything in between

Hello! I guess I'll go in order of the title.

St. Andrews:
I received an email from the registrar a few weeks ago, and now I have everything I need to set up an email, register for classes, and find out information about orientation. I set up my email, and I feel really official now! I can sign up for classes, but nothing will be official until I meet with my advisor during orientation week. I have to take 3 classes each semester, each class worth 20 credits. I know 3 classes doesn't sound like a lot, but they meet more often then classes at American universities usually meet (like 4 lectures a week plus 1lab). So I'm obviously taking a Psychology course (Pretty much Intro to Psych.), but I have no idea what I want to take for my other 2 classes. I could do biology because that would help me if I want to go into neuroscience. I was looking at the Classics courses, and I saw some really interesting Greek and Roman history classes. Then my friend warned me that those classes might be really difficult, and I should be careful with what I'm getting myself into. But, I'm already throwing myself into a new country, and I have no idea what getting myself into anyway, so why start now?

Senior Year:
I'M FINISHED WITH HIGH SCHOOL!!!!

Today was the last day of classes for seniors. Since my first 3 classes for today were A.P. classes, I only had to go to my last class (Bible). It is so weird to think that I am done with high school. It is also four months to the day until I start classes at St. Andrews. I don't know what to do with myself now!!!!!
My mom told me to relax, and my friend told me to sleep... those are two words that dropped out of my vocabulary long ago.

Anyway, here is what I've been up to the past few weeks. About a month ago, our choir, band, and orchestra went to competition in San Antonio, and we came first in every category! It was a fun trip and there are some really great memories and jokes that came back with us. (Like the crack in the wall...if you are ever in a hotel room and you hear strange voices, always check to see if there is a crack in the wall!) My final spring choir concert was a week after that. Let's see...two of my friends and I hosted a graduation party the last weekend of April. It was Dr. Seuss themed, and we based it off the book Oh The Places You'll Go. It's a pretty classic graduation book. We had tea and dressed up super colorfully! We also had an ice cream bar, bubbles, and The Lorax soundtrack...what else do you need for a party?

Then we encountered the dark days, the journey to hell, the pit of despair...also known officially as A.P. testing. For some reason, I thought it would be perfectly reasonable to take 5 A.P. tests. Four of them were in the same week. I took Psychology (Monday), AB Calculus (Wednesday), English Lit. (Thursday), European History (Friday), and Biology (Monday). Yeah.... but I got through them; we all did.  Now we get to wait until the third week of July to get our scores...

So coming up: Tomorrow is prom!! Pictures and probably another blog post will come! To celebrate the fact that we actually have free time, my friends are throwing an Avengers marathon next week! We have the Senior Awards Ceremony next week, graduation rehearsal the week after that, and then graduation on May 31st!

Colorful dresses!

Fancy table setting 

Last time wearing a school uniform EVER!!! Goodbye pleated khaki and plaid skirts!

Everything in between:

Well, the second season of BBC's Sherlock has been playing the past couple of weeks. The third and final episode, "The Reichenbach Fall," is tomorrow on PBS. About time it airs in the U.S.! I'm not liking the whole 5 month difference between Britain and here! Fortunately, I have a friend with a multi-regional dvd player... But when I'm in Scotland, I won't have to wait!!!

Since I have this thing called free time now, I've actually gotten to read...for fun. As much as I enjoyed reading about the depths of human greed and depravity in Heart of Darkness, something a little lighter is nice. I just finished a book called When I Go to Sleep, which is a story about an amnesiac who forgets everything when she goes to sleep at night. The amnesiac is a woman who is trying to piece her life together and figure out exactly what happend to her. I just realized how much this sounds like the Bourne trilogy.... Anyway, coming up on my list is The Language of Flowers and The Informationalist.

So, I think that's it. I'm going to go face paint at the Greek Festival now...

Travel destinations!

Since I'm moving to Scotland, the rest of Europe will suddenly be much closer! It's probably obvious by this point that I love to travel and explore, and I cannot wait for the chance to travel more. St. Andrews has a student travel agency that will help you book tickets and hostels and all of that stuff. So here is my list of places in Europe I want to visit while I'm at St. Andrews. I've had to narrow it down (because if I didn't, this post would take me a very long time to write!), but here I go!


1. St. Petersburg, Russia: I've always found Russia fascinating. It has a bit of a rough history, but it encompasses such a vast amount of land and culture. St. Petersburg seems to be the cultural capital of Russia, and the influences of Peter the Great are still evident. It looks like a beautiful city, and historically, there is so much to learn and see in St. Petersburg! The song "Once Upon December" also plays through my head when I think about St. Petersburg...

St. Issac's Cathedral











2. Germany and Austria: For some reason, I always group Germany and Austria together in my mind. This may be a result of A.P. Euro... Anyway, Germany and Austria just seem like places you have to visit. Berlin sounds like an interesting city. I've heard that while it still has it's historical charm, Berlin is also modern and fun. Then there is Vienna in Austria. My mom studied abroad in Vienna for a year, and my sister has visited. My mom still talks about Vienna, so I want to go see what she is talking about! Plus I want to go hiking in the Alps! :)







The Alps!










3. Croatia: Perhaps ridiculous, but I've had an obsession with Croatia for the past couple of years now! I'm not sure why because I don't really know anything about it except that it is in Central Europe on the Adriatic Coast. I want to visit Croatia simply because it is a country that not a lot of people visit. You don't hear much about Croatia, so I don't think I would be caught up in the same tourist traps that may be a problem in other countries. Since it's on the Mediterranean, I think it would be fun to experience the mix of European and Mediterranean culture.

Dubrovnik, Croatia
(seriously, just look at that!)








4. The Netherlands: A good friend of mine from school is from the Netherlands, so now I have to go! She grew up in Delft, which is in south Holland. I don't know all that much about the Netherlands, except what I have heard from my friend. Amsterdam would be cool to visit. There's a whole lot of history and culture to experience. Apparently Amsterdam is a very bike friendly place, so I should go rent a bike and ride around. I also want to visit Delft! I'm betting it will be a little less crowded than Amsterdam, and I actually have a source that can help me out!

Delft!












5. Spain: So, I was supposed to go to Spain during Spring Break of my Sophomore year, but my school canceled the trip because not enough people signed up. I was so disappointed! But, on the upside, I went on the trip to Scotland and Ireland over Christmas Break. Had I not gone on that trip, I may not have ended up at St. Andrews. But, I want to make up for that trip! I've taken 4 years of Spanish, and I would really like to use that in a real setting (though I was never all that good at it). My sister spent six months in Salamanca one summer and loved it! Madrid, Barcelona, and Salamanca are all on my list.

Barcelona skyline











So these are just a few ideas. I'm open to any suggestions!

Haggis, Pudding, and other Scottish Food

Ok, so I know I've mentioned food a lot in my blog posts...but hey, food is a very important topic! I kind of need it to survive. Unfortunately, I have been told by several people that Scotland is not known for its food. I was on the St. Andrews website a few days ago looking at the Resident Halls and trying to figure out which ones cater (I'm not ready to cook all on my own yet), and I found an example menu.

First off, IT MENTIONED PEANUT BUTTER!!! Now I know that I won't completely starve, at least not at breakfast!

 :)









I was relieved to see a few familiar items on the menu. Bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cereal, granola, fresh fruit for breakfast, and soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. This I can deal with.

But, there are some other items I'm a little less sure about. For example, haggis! It was the third option down in the breakfast category. I was wondering when haggis would make an appearance; it is an infamously Scottish dish! For those who don't know, haggis is sheep's heart, liver, lungs, onion and spices cooked inside the sheep's stomach. It is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (rutabaga and potato). What an interesting combination of ingredients... I've heard that it is better than the description implies, and it must be since it's been around for centuries, but I think I might hold off on that adventure for a while.

 Haggis!

Haggis is also a mythological creature found in the Scottish Highlands with two legs longer than the other so it can quickly scamper around the steep hills. Apparently 30% of Americans believe that the haggis is a real creature...I'm not falling for it.






My friend Alexandra has also told me to stay away from pudding! Pudding has a very different meaning in Britain (haggis is considered a pudding), but I'm not entirely sure what the meaning is. Pudding confuses me, so I'm going to stay away from it until I know exactly what I'm getting myself into (black pudding is listed under Breakfast as well). She also warned me to stay away from all sausage.

There were some things on the menu that made me laugh. First of all, it mentions "Americano Pizza." What is American pizza and how is it different than any other pizza? I'm really confused. It also mentions a chicken fajita wrap! Ok, being from Texas, that's going to be interesting. I think I need to bring some of the Tex Mex with me! To all of my future Scottish friends, be prepared to try queso. :)

Alright, now that I have listed some of the things I'm going to avoid, I need to figure how what I want to try! I'm not keen on the idea of starving, and if I'm going to live in a different country, I want to be a little adventurous! First step: try to learn to like fish. I'll be on the coast of the North Sea, so I'm sure there will be an abundance of fish to try. I'll report back on the success of that mission.

Language Barriers

One good thing about studying abroad in Scotland is that I won't have to worry about learning a new language. However, American English, and more specifically Texan English, is very different than Scottish English.

Here are some basic examples:

• jumper = sweater
• biscuit = cookie
• wellies = rain boots
• chips = french fries
• plaster = band aid
• torch = flashlight

These aren't too hard to pick up on, but I am afraid that I'm going to say something with one intention and my friends are going to pick up on a very different meaning. Fortunately, one of my friends here is kindly compiling a list called "UK Dictionary, Idioms, and Other Stuff To Avoid." I think this will be very helpful, especially the "other stuff to avoid" part. I really like knowing what to avoid!

I was talking to my parents about this a couple of days ago, and apparently in Britain food is often referred to by its French name. I know almost no French, and I don't think the 4+ years of Spanish that I've taken will help me in this situation. So I guess I'll spend the first month having no idea what I am eating...Sounds like an adventure!

Finally, a new issue was brought up that I had never thought of before: spelling. Not only do Americans speak differently, we spell differently! I suppose I'll have to learn to insert u's into many of my words. I'm also wondering if I'll get points taken off of my papers for any spelling differences. Do professors even take points off for spelling in college? Let's hope not. 

http://strangefunnyworld.com/american-english-vs-british-english/

So true.....

Also, anybody who is just dying to know the specific differences between American and British English in grammar, culture, vocab, and writing should visit the Wikipedia site, which is surprisingly extensive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences

Oh, and shout out to all of my future Scottish friends who decide to read my past posts: I WILL NOT STOP SAYING YA'LL! :P

Inspector Lewis

So, a couple of weeks ago, my mom got me into this British crime show called Inspector Lewis. It is a spin-off of Inspector Morse, which aired about fifteen years ago, and is based off of the Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter. It stars Kevin Whately as D.I. Robby Lewis and Laurence Fox as Sergeant James Hathaway. They live in Oxford and solve the various dramatic and mysterious crimes that happen in the town.



It's a really good show! The episodes are well written and complex, and the characters are likeable (Hathaway is my favorite!). It doesn't have the same action-packed plots that most crime shows have, but it's a very intellectual show. You really have to pay attention to what's going on. But I enjoy not being able to predict what is going to happen. It's interesting that it takes place in Oxford. Hathaway went to Cambridge, so there is an underlying rivalry always present.

But what also caught my attention is how they depict student life and classes at Oxford! Whenever they show scenes of lectures, it is always a small group of brilliant kids sitting around a fancy sitting room or coffee shop drinking tea and having an intellectual philosophical or historical discussion with their professor. How prestigious. I know this is stereotyped and probably exaggerated, but it has made me wonder what my classes at St. Andrews will be like. Somehow I don't think my classes will be quite like that. Though I like the idea of studying at some quaint little coffee shop in St. Andrews.

Anyway, I haven't had time to finish the series yet, but I plan on doing that soon! Each season has four 90 minute episodes, and there are four or five series. But, Spring Break starts today, so I'll actually have some free time! Yay Spring Break! Plus it is cold and rainy, so I think I am going to get a cup of tea and go watch more of my new favorite detective show.