A FEW THINGS I LEARNED WHILST ON STUDY ABROAD

when i went to england last summer for study abroad, i expected to learn all sorts of new things about food, history, writing, music, english people....

but i also learned a lot of things i didn't expect to learn.

part of this is because england was the first time ever living on my own.  i was fresh out of the factory {or high school}.  i left my little bubble that is carlsbad, california, and i was exposed to many new people and things and ideas.

one, people will have different opinions than you.  shocker, i know.
i went to a play...it was les miserables...and it was one of the most memorable experiences in my life. as i sat in tears when the curtains closed i looked over at my friend and she was all but crying.  she wasn't impressed.  and as i drilled her all the home on the tube with WHY DIDN'T YOU LOVE IT i soon realized that people don't have to like the things i do.  nice, liv.

two, people are going to be unkind, no matter how great and fun you think you are, or how great and fun you think they are.
i was the second youngest on the trip but that didn't stop me from making friends with the oldest girls in the group.  on the other hand, i wasn't always treated like i thought i should be.  i think a lot of them saw me as a younger sister, not even as a friend, which i understand. when i decided to not worry about them and do things on my own, i had a much greater time! it was better than sulking the entire trip.

three, carbs make you gain weight.

four, strangers aren't bad after all.  while my entire life i had a very positive view of human nature, i prepared myself before the trip to run into some nasty people once i entered the real world.  but, to my surprise, my conclusions by the end of the trip were that people are not naturally selfish, but unnaturally selfish.  when someone does something snarky, i like to think they are having a bad day, just like anyone else.  the brits weren't half bad.  i like humans.

five, taking a ton of pictures is great, but i found many times after visiting a site and taking 1,000 pictures that once i left, i couldn't really remember it.  am i just weird? after a couple weeks i laid of the pictures... and really started experiencing england. sometimes it's just better to relish in a moment without a camera phone obscuring your view.

six, carbs make you gain weight.

i should have probably titled this post, "a few things i learned when i was forced to grow up."

MONDAY FUNDAY

the rest of last monday was quite an affair.  my first day was definitely full of excitement and new experiences.  after lugging that sixty-seven pound suitcase across islington {do not get me started again} i went to buy my tube pass.  san diego, why do we not have a tube? WHY? you put your money on your card, and they even give you a special little case for said card. you don't even have to open the case to scan it. just swish and flick walk through those swingy doors that I'm always scared of closing on my behind.... seriously people. let's get ourselves a tube.

after buying our golden tickets we then started our first walk out of our "london walks" book.  this was our first assignment of the whole trip.  it was called "walk of the scholars" or something totally regal like that. whatever. 

I have a thing for doors. it's fine.

this was one of the many buildings we saw on our walk, the university college of london. why they gave this school a superfluous name, beats me.  

this is the beautiful courtyard of the college. makes ya feel smart, don't it?

 

thinking smart thoughts is always easier with a hot british guy around. "would you like me to get out of the picture?" "no you're fine right where you are." my exact words. 

naked men too. 

so apparently jeremy bentham, father of utilitarianism, adamantly requested for his own mummified head to be placed on top of his skeleton in this sacred shine.  here we see his skeleton dressed with his actual clothes but instead with a wax head.  apparently the mummified head had some complications with distortion, so it was moved to a vault. complications? you're telling me i came all the way to london to not see jeremy bentham's actual head because it actually went through the process of decomposition? i demand a REFUND.

^beauitful church in tavistock square, our next destination

exmouth st you will always have a special place in my heart.  well, you have pistachio ice cream so i guess i'm kind of biased

great first day. great new friends. 

'ELLO, GOVNA

this last week was the beginning of the rest of my life.

about a year ago i decided to try to go on study abroad before my mission.

a few months ago my wish became a reality and i was accepted to the summer london study abroad program with byu.

needless to say i'm on top of the world, moving away from home straight out of high school and living with about thirty-two other people in a foreign country, completely on my own. {insert cringing face here}. it's definitely a big change for me, considering i was practically spoon fed at home {so grateful mom and dad}.

but really. it's good. i think i'm ready to move out of the nest. i mean, i better be, cause it's too late now..

before i get all sappy and emotional about growing up, here's a recap of my first week in the most amazing city. 

i left early sunday morning with my sister, anna and parents, and made sure to wave to them every two minutes from the security line.  after watching my pancake mix being pulled out of my bag and inspected {mister you better put that back in there right now or things are going to get messy} i was off to london town.

after a long flight {loooooooooong} and doing my best to avoid the nice gentlemen who offered to travel with me to london from the airport {look away. look awayyy} i landed in london. i have this weird thing where i look at myself from the outside? my thoughts as follows: liv. you're in london. england. liv. london. look at those trees. look out the window. you've never laid eyes on that before.

the trek to my professors' apartment was lengthy but i did get to ride in my first london taxi.  yes, i am that awkward american tourist who doesn't know to press the button to talk to the driver.  liv. he can't hear you. li- ugh.

after i eat some chocolate at the flat {does this need an explanation?} i, with the rest of the girls, pull our sixty-seven pound suitcases across town. how did i get on the plane with a sixty-seven pound suitcase? nope, not telling. it's a secret.  however it may have involved a smart sister, an aching back, and some serious re-packing.

where am i? oh yes. the trek. THE TREK. i've never known so many ways to look like an idiot whilst pushing a suit case.  but can i just ask, what really is the point of those bumpy yellow sidewalks by cross walks? nothing, i declare! only to make my life more difficult. "how dare you!"

the rest of the story is history, or for tomorrow's post i guess.  coming up, how much food can liv possibly fit inside her person? intriguing, i know.

tally ho!