Bonjur France

Monday found us waking up bright and early... like 4:30 bright and early as I had to participate in this joyous thing called kitchen crew. Kitchen crew takes a lot of extra time and is a source of much complaining among some here. However there are some good things about it. 1- you get a Magnum bar at the end of your week and 2-you get to rock out to James Taylor while waiting for the sanitizer.

However, James Taylor performing a private concert with unlimited Magnum Bars could not have made up for the fact that I was up so early.

After a delicious muffin breakfast and packing a huge lunch we all grabbed our bags, pillows and blankets and goatherd in the sitting room. There one girl told another that she looked as if death was on her door step, and other girls began questioning everyone about what exactly they packed for the trip. The ridiculousness of this made me start to laugh hilariously. And luckily I've found a friend here-Jessica-who thinks I'm as funny as I think I am, and we both started laughing hilariously.

This continued until we were all situated on Tony's coach.

Now in order to fully appreciate my experiences here I must introduce you to Tony. Tony is our coach driver for all of our long trips and each of our day trips ever Wednesday. Basically when we need a coach-we always get Tony. The reason we love Tony so much is that not only is he a coach driver, but a tour guide as well. This man knows everything about everywhere. We drive through the city and he tells us about every building, every event that takes place there, and about 3 famous people that have lived/eaten/shopped/died there. We quite enjoy it.

Luckily for everyone on the coach, once I got situated my laughing stopped and I slept the entire 2 hour coach drive to Dover.

From Dover we went through boarder control, and I got another stamp on my passport as we headed onto the ferry. The ferry was wonderful. It was absolutely beautiful to watch the white cliffs of Dover pass as we left England behind. The cliffs were the best part, but a close second was watching all of us stumble across the ship walking as if we were drunk-well as I imagine we would if we were drunk. I couldn't have walked a straight line for 10 free corner yogurts, and I love corner yogurts.

After the fun ferry ride we loaded back on the coach and started driving through the beautiful French countryside. We were in France!!!

Our first stop in France was at the Vimmy Trenches. This battle was a very important one for the Canadians who fought in WW1, and we were able to walk around in both the Canadian and German trenches and get a feel for the place. I was struck at least a little with just how horrible it would have been for these men to live in these trenches. I can't imagine the dirt, pain, and sorrow that would have taken place living in there. It was humbling to walking where so many brave men lost their lives. Another thing that I was struck with is how broken the ground still is. From the bombing and artillery, the ground rises and drops sporadically. Grass has grown over it, but it remains hilly, almost as if God is reminding us what it once was, and what lies beneath these hills.

Our next stop was at the Armistices. It was where the first Armistice was signed. I have learned so much about the Great War here, and it was cool to go to these war sights and see where it all happened. It really brings it home to me and makes it real.

 After these stops we moved on to our final destination for the day... PARIS

*Time out from the story for a moment while I explain what happened Sunday night. Every Sunday night we have a fireside, however this particular night we didn't have a fireside-just a Paris Prep meeting. Now, they like to prepare us here, and boy did they ever. I'm just going to say that there were quite a few girls who were convinced that there every possession was going to be stolen, that they would be cursed at, have things put into their drinks, and probably get held up at gun point within the 3 days we would be there. So, it was with lots of caution that we arrived in Paris that first evening*

We checked into our hotel. Which was... quaint.... See:

Then after freshening up we split up and headed out for the evening. I went with my friends Jessica, Rachel, Amanda and Kaity to the Eiffel Tower. How else could one even spend their first night there?

As we walked off the metro we stopped at a creperie for French crepe. It was wonderful. As we ate we wandered toward the tower, and as we turned the corner we found it.

There it stood. As it does in every movie, television show and day dream. I was in awe. All of a sudden I realized what I am doing with my life these days-I'm seeing things I've dreamed of seeing, going places I've dreamed of being, experiencing things I never thought possible. I nearly cried I was so happy with my life, and the beauty of the tower.

Just then, as the hour changed, it began to flash and sparkle. I held my breath as the happiness and excitement I'd already felt multiplied so much it made my little heart leap.

Am I a romantic or what? It was stunning though. More so than I expected.

We made our way down to the bottom of the tower, purchased our tickets, and headed onto the lift up to the top, and then the very summit. I loved the view of Paris all lit up at night from the top. It was gorgeous, and wonderful. I'm not sure if it was the intense smell of weed at the top or the lightheadedness that ensued, but I can honestly say that while the view is beautiful, the view from the bottom looking up is where the true beauty is.

At the top we met a very nice American couple from New York. They were so kind and curious. Upon finding out we were from Utah they immediately asked if we were missionaries. It was sweet, and it felt like home listening to them tell us about the Mets, and the States. I was glad we had found some nice American friends.

At the top my friend Jess got really light headed and sick and in an attempt to get her down ASAP  we got split up from the original group. Rachel, Jess and I made it to the bottom and waited for Amanda and Kaity. And waited. And waited. And got asked if we had any weed in broken English by a desperate man. And waited. And waited. Pretty soon the scene down there started to change. Tourists were heading home, and the group that was still gathered around there was not one we felt comfortable in. It was about 11:30, and we had a 12:00 curfew. However, we also had an at least 3 to a group rule and we hated to leave the other two girls out there alone. We had a decision to make. As we stood underneath the very bottom of that tower we prayed together that we would be safe, that the other two would be safe, and that we would make it home alright.

With that we headed back to the Metro. By this time it was 11:45 and we were across town from the hotel. There was no way we would be there before midnight. We immediately saw why our professors said there was nothing we'd want to be involved in after 12:00 there. The metro, always dirty, was disgusting and full of homeless people sleeping at the station. Those on the metro were drunk, or otherwise not all there. It was a little scary.

Then a man gets on and starts yelling at the top of his lungs, in French. We keep calm as we look around to see how the French people react to it. No one seemed too scared, but like I said the caliber of people on this train were not the highest. Our stop could not come soon enough. As we got off the train so did the yelling man, and he was right behind us. Upon noticing this we started booking it up the stairs and out of the station. Once out of the station we started walking down the street. And he wasn't too far behind us.

It only took us about 3 minutes to realize that we were lost. It was 12:30 AM, the only people on this street were in the shadows, nothing was open, and I could hear a man yelling behind us.

I was ready to lose it right there. Jessica's calm kicked in and we crossed the street and turned around. As the view of the E Tap sign came into view we each said a prayer of gratitude. And, I was struck with the knowledge that God is hearing our prayers, and answering them. He heard our parents prayers that day, our professors, and our terrified pleas. And, he watched out for us.

I had never been more ready to sleep that night. But my roommate Sarryn had her own story to tell, theirs much worse than our own. Good thing our Paris Prep meeting had prepared us for being scared, because so far Paris had definitely lived up to that.

I've never gone to bed with more gratitude in my heart and prayers. Gratitude for the opportunities and beauty sure, but more so for the gratitude of prayers being answered, the Holy Ghost, and our safety. Yes, a heart full of gratitude is how my first day in France came to an end. A heart full of gratitude, and the memory of a dream fulfilled. 

I'm off to Paris... Pictures will follow :)

This Week in Review

Today:
It started out a little rough, I fell down the stairs, got hair gel on my shirt right after I got dressed, and dreamed that I got to go home so I woke up homesick! So, my roommates and I decided to name all of the things that are great about today so we would be more excited about it! We came up with the following:
-it's thursday
-we were having good dinner
-in austen class darcy and lizzy finally got together
-I wore my cool flower embelishment

And that was it. Who knew that it would also include:
-Giraffe smoothies
-getting 2 out of 3 essays done!
-theraputic dish doing
and best for last
-a package from home!!! With a necklace I wanted and love! It's from Etsy, and it says
"Theres no place like home!" I love that as I travel Europe (Paris on Monday!!!) I get to wear this and remember home! So wonderful!

Wednesday:
A day trip to Bodiam Castle, Bateman's house (he wrote The Jungle Book), Battle Abby (where the Battle of Hastings took place) and Monk's house (where Virgina Woolfe lived)! It was so much fun! I loved it!

Isn't it a beautiful castle?? Ok well I totally would have uploaded more photos however, apparently we're not suppose to upload pictures to blogs anymore because of how slow the Internet is being. So basically, I have to go to McDonalds to upload them... I better get around to it more often or I may have some disappointed parents! Oh well.

My favorite part of Wed. was going to Bateman's house. Sometimes I feel like I could be a good writer, if I tried really hard. But if I lived here I could be an amazing writer!!! Talk about inspiration. It was gorgeous! I loved it!

Tuesday:

The whole program went and saw the play War Horse. It was beautiful set and puppetry (is that a word) wise, but a little cheesy as far as dialog goes!

Monday:

I went to the V&A and visited the Victoria and Albert Museum! Our assignment was to visit the Fashion section and write about the dresses from Jane Austen's time. It was great! However, my favorite part was the visit to the limited time Grace Kelly exhibit!

I would love to dress like Grace Kelly! This is one of her most princessy ones! I love it! I learned so much about her! She really is my fashion icon! Can you say classy?

Oh and I bought the cd for the Grace Kelly tribute-it is filled with Frank and Dean, and all of that wonderfulness. It may or may not be the most played on my ipod right now! :)

Well, I'll try to put nice pictures up later! Sorry about that. It makes me sad, not gonna lie. Anyways, thanks for reading despite pictures! Love you all!

I Feel Like A Princess When I Go To A Castle...

Friday I was up and ready before most of my friends in the states had gone to sleep Thursday. Breakfast started at 6:00, and after eating a packing a quick lunch we were off to board the coach by 7:00 AM. Which is usually the time I get up here.... A quick 2 hours later (quick because we all fell back asleep) we had arrived at Dover. Which is not only home to white cliffs, and a spectacular view of the Channel, but the Dover Castle! Before touring the Castle, Roman Lighthouse, and Saxon Church we went on the tour of the "Secret War Tunnels" that they used during WW2. They even had a hospital wing underground, it was really amazing. However if there is ever an incident in which WW3 breaks out I'm pretty sure it would be useless. I'm not really sure why they are still called the "secret" war tunnels anymore!

Anyways after that we climbed the largest hill of my life to check out the castle! It was spectacular. From the very top you could look out over the green valley, and the channel. I was in awe of the beauty there. This my friends, is the England I always pictured.
After we finished there we boarded the coach again, ate our lunch, and arrived in Canterbury. Our original plan was to head straight to St. Augustine's Abby, however, due to a mistake with scheduling our tour person was not there yet. Not to fear, Dr. Seeley had the brilliant idea to walk up to St. Martin's to kill time. Now one could easily argue that St. Martin's is the oldest church in all of Britain. In it's walls there are even bricks from the Romans. But to fully appreciate St. Martin's you have to know about Bertha.

Bertha was a Christian woman who King Ethelbert wanted to marry. Her father made him promise that if she married him she could still practice Christianity. Ethelbert agreed, and gave her St. Martin's to worship in. Through the righteous example of his wife, as is often the case, Kind Ethelbert was Baptised and Christianity began to flourish in the land. Bertha is truly an example to me.

Anyways, as we approached St. Martin's I fell in love with it because it had a cemetery. Now if you don't know this, I've always had this love of cemeteries, they really are sacred ground, and the beauty and quiet that is in them has always been special to me. We walked to the door of St. Martins and much to the Seeley's delight and surprise it was open. A local parish member was there watering the flowers and she told us that we could come in and she would tell us about the church, and that we could sing some hymns for her. Despite knowing everything about this church Dr. Seeley had never been inside and his excitement rivaled that of a 5 year old at Christmas time, and it was just as contagious. As I walked into this small church I was in love with the history, and age of it. The little parish lady told us about it's history and about Bertha and such and then Dr. Seeley got up. He told us to remember that all of our ancestors that came from here worshiped like this. Most of them went to local, small churches of this size every sunday. They we married there, baptised their children there, sometimes buried their children there, and sustained their firm belief in Christ their until the day that they were buried there. It hit a cord with me. As we sang Nearer My God to Thee, I Am A Child of God, and then pushed the envelope with The Spirit of God I felt the spirit so strongly. One of the things I've learned the most from this experience so far is the value in Christianity, even on it's own. The Apostasy is looked at as a time of darkness because we did not have the full truth on the earth, and while that is sad and true, it was also a time of great things... many wonderful things were preserved, and taught to others. Joseph Smith would have never found the truth if he didn't read the Bible, know of Christ, or know how to pray. This is a wonderful way to look at things to me, and the beauty of it is astounding.After possibly the most spiritual experience of my stay thus far we walked back to St. Augustine's Abby. There we were admitted and set free to roam about the beautiful ruins. The idea of ruins being something beautiful was foreign to me, but no longer! It is so beautiful. I loved the time we spent there.
After that we walked right into the center of town, and as a street performer sang "Losing My Religion" for whatever change people could spare we stared up at the gate to Canterbury Cathedral. Now, St. Paul's is still the number one in my book, however this was a beautiful. We split into groups and began a tour of the place. This is that Cathedral that Thomas Beckett was murdered at, and so obviously there is lots of history here. I've learned that where there is lots of history there is lots to tell, but our little guide far outlasted the 1 1/4 hour the sign said we would get. I thought she was going to give us a tour of the loo too at the rate she was going. It was beautiful however, and I am still in awe that I can learn about something in class one day, and be there experiencing it the next.And as if going to all these places was not pleasure enough, none of this photos were edited. It was just that remarkably beautiful of a day!

And now I just want to end as I always do, shouting (electronically) I LOVE LONDON!!!

And all of you for reading :)

And I Thought the 63 Stairs to My Room Was a Lot.

OH my goodness, can I just tell you how happy I am that pictures are uploading! Mom and Dad-you can actually see what I'm doing!

Ok so today was amazing! Possibly the best day so far! It was our first city field trip. Usually we have these on Fridays and our day trips on Wednesday but this week they are switched. So, today we went to St. Paul's cathedral, and the Museum of London. As soon as I walked out of the tube station (tube strike is over... I'm not sure if it did anything except make the locals exercise more-the mayor requested they bike to work) I was in awe of this place. It is absolutely gorgeous. It is so big, and beautiful. We had a few minutes before our tour began so of course we spent the time taking pictures, and sitting on the steps pretending that we were on Gossip Girl. (I got to be Blair because I had a headband on).

Nicki, Sarryn, Jessica, Me and Katie in front of St. Pauls

I love these doors

Kaitlyn, Lisa, Sarah, Annie, Kim, Nicki, Carolyn, Me, Jessica, Katie and Sarryn

Finally, it came time for the tour, or they decided that they were done having us work on our America's Next Top Model looks on their steps. Now they don't allow pictures inside the Cathedral, except for one spot, but let me just tell you-it is beautiful. There has been a church there basically since the beginning of time, the version before this one though was mostly destroyed in the great London fire in 1666. (I totally didn't even have to look up the year-I'm learning so much here!) So then this was built. Since then it's had a few renovations, and fixings-like after it got hit twice by the Blitz during WW2. You could never tell though. It is absolutely gorgeous. I loved being there. It isn't dark or dreary like many other Cathedrals I've been to, it was happy and beautiful.

Now, here is one spot where they said we could take pictures:

I'm standing on the ground looking up at these stairs, by the way. And do they look familiar? Opening sequence of Sherlock Holmes where they fight down the stairs? Or maybe you've heard of a little movie called Harry Potter? Yea Dumbledoors office may or may not be at the top! :)

After here we were split into groups and we got the full tour. I enjoyed the whole Cathedral, but learning about the US WW2 memorial in the northern most end was my favorite for sure. We lost over 20,000 troops in Britain during WW2, and after the war the government mentioned that they would like a memorial somewhere in Britain. The British responded warmly, and not only said they would like to give us one, but gave us one of the most prized spots in all of London-the northernmost part of St. Paul's Cathedral. It is beautiful. There are three stained glass windows representing service, sacrifice, and um... sanctification?not sure. And there is this huge book that has the name of every solider we lost here. Everyday they turn it to the next page. They also have a copy of it somewhere else so people can look up their relatives. Cool huh? I loved it.

You know what came next? Over 590 stairs. Yes that is how many steps it takes to get to the top of the dome, where you can go out and walk around, and see the entire city of London. Now after the first 300 or so, and a stop at the Whisper Gallery I was feeling pretty good. They only get harder though! But, once you make it to the top and see this:

IT'S MORE THAN WORTH IT

I loved it out here, being able to see so far. It was absolutely beautiful.

Sadly many people took markers to the outside to show that they made it to the top. It is sad for the church but provides another good background for photos! ha ha Like I said earlier-I'm just glad these are uploading!

Next came the hardest part, walking down the stairs. It went much faster but a combination of a few things left me very light headed. Pretty soon I couldn't tell where one stair started and another stopped. I almost passed out right there on the steps. Luckily I made it down, and after getting some food into me I was as good as new! Except for the fact that my legs wouldn't stop shaking-thats how we all were though so I don't feel too bad :)

Next was the museum of London. Now they allowed you take pictures but I was having lots of fun, and didn't take to many. They have cool stuff about and from London since basically when the Dinosaurs were here. Ok, a bit of an exaggeration-I don't even know if Dinosaurs were here. However, the museum is very cool just the same. I loved the section about the Victorian age, and the 40s. Also we got to see a book written by Thomas Moore. Like written by him. Ya know-in his handwriting. There were many very cool things. Including this little gem!

Fancy huh? Anyways the museum was great. Overall the whole day was just wonderful. The rest of it was spent doing laundry, homework, and exercises... and eating ice cream. See the exercises on top of the 590 stairs more than make up for the ice cream!

If you can't tell... I'm loving it here.

But if you can't tell that then you obviously didn't read this, or any post!

London Rain

It finally rained yesterday! I've been waiting for the London rain for quite awhile and yesterday it finally came. And it was beautiful. I've alwasy loved rain, and I'm pretty confident that I won't get sick of it. It's just too beautiful here.

(Jessica and I loved wearing our rain coats!)

So, besides rain yesterday was full of classes. Religion first where I found a new perspective to the apostacy. Instead of it being a time of nothing, it was a time of preserving many of the key things of Christianity. Had that not been the case Joseph wouldn't have been reading the Bible, he would not have known had to pray, or how to get answers. Instead of Joseph starting with a glass half empty, like so often it's portrayed, he started with a glass half full. Beautiful huh?

Then there was Jane Austen where I learned more about this intersting woman. I once pictured a beautiful, witty woman who was socially active and high in society. I'm beginging to think that only one of those is correct-the witty part. And at that time I'm not sure people even thought that of her. We were talking about how she was so politically aware, and ahead of her time, and how her vast knowledge allowed her to be so funny-I'm pretty sure she was the first Liz Lemon.

Then humanities. Can I tell you how great it is to study artwork from Duer, and Brugell and then go the next day to the gallery and see their work? It really brings it to life for me in a way I've never experience before. It makes humanities possible for me... pretty sure if I was in Provo this would not be the case :)

Then I had the pleasure of having a great Skype date where I got to talk to my favorite people. Thanks for waking up at 7:00 on your holiday family. It was good to see you.

The rest of the day was spent in true rainy day fashion-homework and adventure. I read for Great War in the bay window in the library as I watched the sky darken. And after a delicious dinner a few of us set out to explore. The drivers of the tube are currently on strike so we took to the busses! (I feel like strikes are suppose to be spontanous, to show what happens when you're all of a sudden not there... these guys have been planning it for days, and all it's shown is just how many busses London has, and how many people have bike)

We found a beautiful little church right by our home, and even little Israel... or somethink like that. All we know is that we went left when we should have gone right and all of a sudden the 8 of us are standing on the pavement looking at all the shop signs, and they're in arebic. Oh and the people eating at the tabels outside were all smoking hukas. We tried to get some ice cream, and when we decided we didn't want some we thought the workers were going to lock us in until we relented and bought some. We hopped on the next bus we saw, and after some mapping, and getting drenched we made it home-grateful for English, and normal smells.

I'm trying to upload at least one photo for this post but the internet here is really slow. I'll try to get some up on facebook or something soon!

PS-I just have to take a second and say how grateful I am for my friends here. I feel so lucky to be living with all these great girls! And the 2 boys. ha ha ha

Meet Ben!

London has been wonderful the last few days. I started classes on Thursday, and I'm liking them a lot. I'm pretty sure that despite it being sad, The Great War and Modernism will be my favorite class. I do love that we can learn about something in Humanities though and then the next afternoon I can be at the National Gallery looking at it. It is so amazing. I'm going to try to tell you about all the fun stuff I've been up to, but uploading pictures here is a nightmare-and I have to do it one at a time. So, I haven't included everything. Just the highlights!

After 4 hours of classes on Thursday I desperately needed to get out of the center!! So, some girls suggested we go down to Westminster and take in the view. We took the tube, walked around Parliament and met Ben:

Before heading up the street back towards Trafalga Square. We also went to PriMark-where I got some cute shoes for 2 pounds. Stellar deal right? This PriMark place is legit!

The next day after class, and a trip to the National Portrait gallery to work on some homework we decided to buy some tickets to this:

After some directional trouble (I have no sense of direction here) we found Queen's theater! And settled in for the best show I've seen. Les Mis was amazing when I saw it at Tuchan in St. George but this doesn't even compare! It was spectacular!!! Like chills down your arms, while Javert sings Stars spectacular. It was worth every pence! Oh but if you go be warned, at intermission they sell tiny little Hagan Daus Ice Cream and everyone else will get it and taunt you with it. So, factor in the 3 pound cost of the Hagan Daus. I'm proud to say we resisted this time!

Getting home was quiet the adventure. During the week the only people that ever talk on the tube are children and Americans. However, on the weekend at late at night there is this magical time when suddenly(or 5 drinks later) everyone on the tube is yelling, and laughing and having a grand ole time! ha ha ha The Pubs we passed were alive and well on Friday night.

Saturday morning we walked down the street to Portabello Market. All the little shops, and tents were so cool. Saturday we basically just got a feel for the place, but I'm sure we'll go back very soon because there is a legit pocketwatch necklace calling my name :)

The rest of the day yesterday was spent doing homework, and such. Then at night a huge group of us went to dinner at Nandos (amazing) and I discovered joy when I found out:

That not only do they have Diet Coke, but they do free refills and have pebble ice!!!! This place is amazing and many a Saturday will include a visit to Nandos for some chicken, potatoes, and D.C.

After dinner a bunch of us went down to Tower Bridge at night. It is gorgeous! We're going back as part of the program and doing a tour and such but it was cool to see it at night time. I really enjoyed the view, and the nice little outing. Sadly, the Internet is kinda sketch sometimes so uploading, even one picture at a time, is not working. Look for some next time though!

Today was my first Sunday in my new ward here. I go with Devri, and Sarah-two other girls in the program. We thought we had it all figured out on how to get there but due to some of the underground lines being down for maintenance it was a little more tricky than anticipated.

And then we got on the wrong line.

And missed our train.

And couldn't figure out how to buy tickets, which resulted in us almost missing the second train.

Which left us RUNNING across Charington Cross Station.

Once on though we were golden. The church is about a 20 minute train ride from Charington Cross, and it takes us south of the Thames. It is such a beautiful area. It was not too far out of the city, but felt so different, and wonderful. The church is this old brick building, with a short back iron fence around the property and fruit trees in the yard. The bishop had already asked us each to serve in the primary, which had recently been reorganized, so we headed straight there when we arrived, 45 minutes late.

There are about 10 children, and there were two leaders-Karen and Stella. We had a great time singing the primary songs, learning about obedience, and especially being with the children. They have such a sweet spirit about them.

After Primary we headed out to Sacrament, and I loved it so much. The ward is a lot smaller than I am used to, but the spirit is the same! That is what is so great about the church, no matter where you are in the world-it is the same feeling of love and goodness. At church we got sustained as Primary Assistants and after church we got set apart and had a meeting with Karen and Stella. I was asked to teach the 8-11 year old class. There are about 5 kids in there and I'm excited, and only slightly nervous for it. The look of relief on the Primary President's face when I told her I had been in Primary brought anything but relief to me. She said that she has only been in for a few weeks, and has no idea what to do, and said she was so glad that I know whats going on. I'm pretty sure that teaching 5 year olds that Heavenly Father loves them is a little bit different then knowing whats going on! I'm so excited to serve here though, especially in primary with the children.

One man, as we were leaving said "You three are angels. It's amazing that although Brigham is gone, he still sends his angels" I think back on this and get teary eyed. I feel exactly the opposite. Even though I've only known them all for a few hours they seem like the angels in this relationship-welcoming me in, answering our questions, and making me feel comfortable and loved. I'm so grateful for this.

So, as you can see things are going pretty well here in the UK! It's still hard trying to find a good balance of study and play, sleep and socialize, and healthy and gelato but I'll get ther eventually. As long as I always have the option of Nutella in the morning!

Love from London