3 Weeks, My Friends

In exactly 3 weeks and 2 days, I will be on a plane to London, England. After visiting Ashland to say farewell to friends and professors, I think it's finally dawned on me that I'm really leaving. It seems like time has flown by since I've been off of work - I guess days of reading and appointments and family will do that. I'm hoping to really make the most of the time I have left here to be with my family and attempt to make them believe that I know what I'm doing. This year will be an adventure and, though they may not understand it now, it will no doubt shape me as a human being and (hopefully) help determine what the rest of my life will look like.

In other news, I have an address (yay!) and classes (yay!) for next year.

I'll be living at Feilden 04B, Feilden House Westfield Way, London E1 4NP. I'm really looking forward to the whole own-bedroom-own-bathroom idea - after two years of sharing a room and community bathrooms, ANY change would be great.

Courses I'll be taking:
Representing London: The 18th Century
Thomas Hardy and the Victorian Modern
Writing and Vision in the Romantic Period
Gladstone and Ireland
Society and the State in Britain, 1450-1720

I'll also have a class on Ulysses or Milton or Blake - any of which would be awesome and challenging.

It's been a while since I've posted, but very little has been going on worth writing about. Don't worry - from now on, I'll be posting packing lists and nervousness and excitement until I leave. :)

Funding London

This summer has been slipping away from me quickly and I'm grateful for that in some ways. However, I'm working a lot now and have little time to write and work on finding scholarships. There's not much out there and now it's crunch time.

Unfortunately, so many of the grants out there are for graduate students going abroad, not undergrads. So I'm getting creative. I'm writing an essay on Lincoln for a contest and submitting a few short stories to contests for various publications. I'm hesitant to get too set on winning anything for my work - especially my creative work. I'm not impressed by anything I've written yet and it's getting discouraging.

But I am comforted that God has a plan and it's a good one. I know that this year abroad is right - the hard road to get there is merely the hard prep work and will make me ever so grateful when I actually get there.

On a brighter note, I've acquired the Oxford Guide to Literary Britain and Ireland. It's probably the best purchase I've ever made.

The World Traveller Returns... and Prepares to Leave Again

I returned a week and a half ago from my Capitals of Europe excursion - it was wonderful. London felt like home, Paris was Paris, and Prague was a great surprise. I've got billions of pictures. Here's a few highlights.

London

Paris

Prague

Berlin

            The trip was fantastic. It would be impossible for me to describe in one short post. What I can say is this: I cannot wait to go back. September 16th, I'll be back in London - thank goodness.

            Though I look ahead with great anticipation, I'm trying to be here, in the present. Spending time with my family, praying for my grandfather, reading (the Bible and my growing library), and trying to earn some money for next year.



Preparations for Capitals of Europe Tour

       Two weeks from tomorrow, I will be leaving for a 12-day excursion to London, Paris, Prague, and Berlin. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about leaving the Midwest and visiting four amazing cities that I have never been to before. The whole trip is quickly becoming a reality as I buy new clothes (H&M is a dream. So glad they have them in Europe!), pack up my passport, re-load my Visa Traveler card, and receive a new set of luggage from my grandparents. It's been three years since my trip to Spain, and I am beyond ready to be in Europe again.

       I'm viewing this trip as a little taster of what the next year will hold - a chance to learn a bit about traveling with friends, work the kinks out of my packing strategies (Yep, that will be quite a process, I'm sure), familiarize myself with the transportation systems, and decide where I'll need to go back to (Paris!). I hope to do most of the big "tourist-y" things this time around so that next year I can really explore and not worry about making it to Buckingham Palace just to say I've seen it.  I hope the group of students I'm going with are adventurous and willing to dive into the history and culture of each city.

       This will be a much needed break after the stressful, boring semester I've had. It's been mostly work and little play. I need some play now, and I'm really looking forward to playing in Europe.

Lawrence of Arabia

I read an article today about T.E. Lawrence (http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/73171) that I found very interesting and sparked my curiousity. I've seen the film "Lawrence of Arabia" a number of times and find it breathtaking. This article, which reviews a new biography of Lawrence, attempts to give a glimpse of the man as he really was.

I plan on adding one of Lawrence's books to my ever-growing summer reading list. He is such a legendary figure and has such an interesting life story. I'm also intrigued by a phrase from the article above: the "brutality of dreamers" - the military careers of men such as Lawrence and Byron. This idea of the armed poet, the sensitive warrior is something that seems worthy of investigation... maybe a thesis... Hmmm....

New thesis idea -  "Brutal Dreamers: The English Warrior Poet"

Note: Add Lawrence's home is Dorset (2 hours from London) to literary tour!

The BBC

I've started counting down: 5 weeks from today, Capitals of Europe trip. 23 weeks until London. :)

One of the silly things I've really looking forward to is watching shows on the BBC. Over the past year, I've been drawn into watching (and purchasing) all 3 seasons of "Robin Hood" as well as watching the first 3 seasons of "Merlin." The geeky girl in me absolutely loved them, and I will forever have little crushes on Richard Armitage and Bradley James. While I'm in London, I will be able to watch series 4 of Merlin when the episodes premiere, and I am really excited about that.

I of course plan to spend a lot of time traveling, but those one or two nights a week that I stay in to relax will definitely involve BBC. Almost all of my favorite American shows have ended (Friends, Lost) or will be ending (Friday Night Lights, The Office?) soon, so I plan on becoming somewhat of a British tv junky who enjoys watching the quirky shows to learn all about English humor. The process has already begun. For example, I learned some new vocabulary: a "prat" is an arrogant person and  "bloody heck" is a less vulgar substitute for full-out swearing.

I'd like to share a little bit of the Bradley James love that's taken root in my too-impressionable heart. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj__OhnbqxE&feature=related

Provision

I have not yet posted about faith. This is overdue.

With all of the unfair, unpleasant things that seem to keep popping up in my life, I am continually reminded of God's provision for us. From my daily reading - I'm working through Leviticus right now - to church talks, to the kind words of beloved family members, to random emails from my mother, this truth is placed on my heart time and time again. I have been feeling crushed by circumstances beyond my control and He keeps reminding me that these circumstances are not beyond HIS control. It is the most comforting reality and gives greater strength than anything else I can dream of.

So thank you, Father, for watching out for me always- for encouraging me not to whine, but to push onwards towards the wonderful plans you have. The hope You give is truly priceless.

"'If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them.'" - Lev. 18:5

Literary London Part 1

During my stay in England, I hope to travel to the various homes of famous English writers and other literary sites that are open to the public. Here is a list of ones I've found so far:

Charing Cross Road (84 Charing Cross Road, to be precise)
Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd!)
Poets' Corner (Westminster Abbey)
The Sherlock Holmes Museum (221B Baker Street)
The Charles Dickens Museum (48 Doughty St.)
John Keat's House in Hampstead
Samuel Johnson's House
Effigy of John Donne at Old St. Paul's Cathedral
Shakespeare's Theatres (the Globe and the Rose) and Stratford-upon-Avon
The British Library (96 Euston Rd)
Bronte Parsonage/Haworth Museum (northern England)
Wordsworth Houses (Cockermouth and Dove Cottage in Grasmere)
Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm (Lake District)
Home of D.H. Lawrence (Eastwood)
Byron's Home (Newstead Abbey)
Thomas Hardy's Cottage (Dorset) and Grave (Stinsford church)
Jane Austen's Home at Chawton (Hampshire)


I've also stumbled upon a listing of literary festivals in the UK: http://www.thewordtravels.com/literary-festivals.html  Hopefully I can find an updated listing with 2011-2012 dates.

Leaving the Country

I drove home today. The freeways from Ashland, OH to Livonia, MI are lined with flat, dead farmland, "Adult" stores, antique malls (the nasty kind), and fast food. In short, it is three hours of misery. Especially when you have the Les Mis soundtrack playing. And you lose your voice midway through Eponine's "On My Own," which makes you realize you can't even belt out your troubles. Needless to say at this point, today's been rough.

In two months, I will be living for my two week trip to London, Paris, Prague, and Berlin. In six months, I'll be heading to London. I'm counting down now.

I've felt for some time now that the Midwest is the last place on earth I would choose to live - there is so little that is poetic here, so little history and culture. It is hard for me to sit down and try to write about people I've never met and places I've never been while I'm holed up in my dorm room, buried under piles of homework, watching it snow or rain or both out in the maintenance parking lot. The most interesting thing I can see from my window in Andrews Hall is the crowd of smokers outside of Buffalo Wild Wings. With such inspiration, it's hard to imagine why writing about life and death and love and adventure is difficult. I have an imagination, but even my creativity needs a muse or two now and then.

That's why I'm counting down. I need to be in places worthy of being written about. I hope London turns out to be everything I'm dreaming of and that Europe becomes a home for me.

I'm going to be continuing my Paris-themed reading agenda. I've got Zola and Dumas to tackle this break - Zola's The Fortune of the Rougons and Dumas's The Three Musketeers (finally! It's awful that I haven't read it yet).

The details. And tea.

Phew! Turned in applications for the AU Global Education Grant as well as the Gilman International Scholarship today... hoping they will help fund my London year. I totalled up my budget... approximately $30,000 for me to study, eat, have a room, and travel. It's funny: overall it will be cheaper than Ashland, but since my grants through the AU don't transfer (DUMB) it'll be harder to pay for. Such a shame...

But one mustn't get caught up in all those technical details. I've decided happiness in poverty is infinitely better than misery in comfort. So I'll be a poor little thing upon graduating, but no matter. Perhaps I'll meet a wealthy Englishman who can cover the debt out of love for me. Or maybe I'll write a bestseller. Who knows.

On a more important note, I've decided I must learn to enjoy tea in order to fully embrace British culture.

"The British have an umbilical cord which has never been cut and through which tea flows constantly. It is curious to watch them in times of sudden horror, tragedy or disaster. The pulse stops apparently, and nothing can be done, and no move made, until "a nice cup of tea" is quickly made. There is no question that it brings solace and does steady the mind. What a pity all countries are not so tea-conscious. World-peace conferences would run more smoothly if "a nice cup of tea", or indeed, a samovar were available at the proper time." - Marlene Dietrich

This tea thing could be more difficult than paying off my monstrous debt.

Parisians

I'm currently reading (at a snail's pace due to having required reading for classes) Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb and absolutely love it. He gives a history of the city by looking at incidents in the life of famous Parisians (Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Zola) as well as less-famous ones (Francois Picaud/Joseph Lucher - the man whose life inspired the character of Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, Henry Murger - whose short stories inspired "La Boheme", Marville - the photographer who preserved old Paris before Napoleon III reorganized the city). It's a fascinating collection of stories and I highly recommend it.

Reading Parisians has expanded my list of places to visit in Paris (if they exist and are open to the public still). So far, I'll be adding the Palais Royale, the Saint-Mande cemetery, the Catacombs (I was surprised I didn't know about this place!), the Latin Quarter, the home of Dumas, and the home of Zola.

I've also decided to add Emile Zola's Nana to my pre-Europe reading list. I shall post the first installment of "The List" shortly.

Robb's history of Paris is so engaging and different from any history work I've read before. I love the concept  of using short stories from various moments in time, written in changing styles, to give a fuller portrait of a place. I wonder if I could do the same for London while I'm there... hmmm... THESIS IDEA???

"Moby-Duck"?

I came across a review of a book on the NY Times book page that sounds absolutely crazy. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/books/21book.html?ref=books)

The book's full title is: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them.

How awesome is that?!

Apparently, this guy travelled all over the world hunting down these missing bath toys as well as the truth behind the bath toy manufacturing industry. He also investigated other aspects of the incident, such as environmental pollution and clean-up, the shipping industry, and more. It amazes me that this story, will seemingly silly, can bring up so many deep, controversial issues.

I'll let you know if it's worth the read... if I ever get around to reading it.

The Beginning

   This will be my first and only blog. I hope. I have resisted the temptation to start one for quite a while now because, frankly, I hate technology. I vowed that if I ever kept a record of my thoughts, it would be on a paper journal. Well, I stand by that statement - for the most part. But certain circumstances have sparked the creation of this blog:

1. I have thoughts. Thoughts worth sharing... maybe. And I want to be a writer. I have other places to store my serious writing (notebooks, a file fittingly called "Writing" on my desktop). I need a place to just unleash all of the silliness that won't make it into my Nobel Prize-winning novels and essays.

2. This has the potential to be the most exciting year of my life thus far. I will be going to Europe for two weeks in May (YES!) and will be spending my ENTIRE junior year of college at Queen Mary, University of London (YES! YES! YES!). I will actually have JOURNEYS to share with the world. This year will be worthy of my using both a written notebook and an online blog. Plus, I can't very well mail my journal home for Mom to read while I'm gone.

3. I've been starting to research all of the places I want to go on said travels. I need someplace to post the links and my impressions of the places (before and after).

4. I intend to share my praises and complaints about the world. I have particular tastes (good ones, for the most part) that I feel other people (particularly people my age) could benefit from. You will undoubtedly read my elaborate campaign for the music of Dean Martin within the next few weeks.

5. I need someplace to keep track of all the books I want to read. I have a written list somewhere, but this way I can give and receive recommendations.

6. This will provide a solution to the boredom I will suffer from - in Ashland, Ohio this summer; in airports, train stations, etc. next year; and especially all those moments where I don't want to work on homework.


Now you know my reasons for starting this project. If you don't like them... eh.


To kick off what is sure to be a brilliant masterpiece, I will explain the title of this blog.

"She has a horror of men who wear their hats in the house."

-C.K. Dexter Haven in "The Philadelphia Story"



"The Philadelphia Story" is my favorite film. Made in the 1940s, it stars Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart. It has one of the most sparkling scripts ever written, in my opinion. One of the main issues the film deals with is class - both in the material and spiritual sense. There are social classes, based on wealth and standing and all that. But there is also CLASS - that characteristic so elusive to my generation. It breaks my heart to see how absolutely lazy people can be about their manners, appearance, and tastes.

   This blog will be dedicated to all things classy. Classy places to go, books to read, films to watch, and more. I hope the result is wonderful.