Another Sunday

I can't believe I only have two Sundays left in the Wandsworth Common ward. And the next two weeks are Stake conference and ward conference-type stuff so that's exciting and also a little weird.

It was the fifth Sunday today so Relief Society and Priesthood were combined. The missionaries taught and I loved the beautiful, simple truths they focused on. They talked about feeding His lambs and I realized I have some work to do. Actually, all three meetings were good like that. The Spirit was strong, and I have many specific ways I can improve. I love getting direction!

The weather today wasn't at all what I expected when I got dressed this morning. It was drizzly and colder than it's been all week, so I was wearing a maxi skirt and short sleeves. I left all sweaters, jackets, and scarves in my closet in my room (which I need to learn NOT to do because weather here changes all the time) so I was a bit chilly. What's more, the church itself was cold today so I couldn't really feel my toes by the end of the three hours there. Sarah and I were hurrying out the doors so we could catch the train and get home, and the Relief Society president (she's Scottish) asked me, "Aren't you cold without a coat?"

I responded, "Very cold! So I'm going to hurry home and warm up!"

That plan was better in theory than in practice, though, and we ended up waiting on the platform waiting for the train for fifteen minutes. Thankfully we weren't out in the rain because the platform was covered, but it was a bit nippy. I know I've said this before, but I think I've really learned my lesson this time. I'm not going anywhere without some sort of warming device. Maybe I'll remember my lesson this time around :P

When I got home I decided to take a quick nap because I was so cold. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, so I was exhausted today, and that nap ended up being not all that quick. But it was good, and I'm still tired enough to go to bed tonight (I hope) so that's good news.

And that was today. Time is flying by and in just a few weeks I'll be back to real life. It's crazy to think about that. So I won't think about it for a while longer.

Filled

Today I went to see Lamb of God by Rob Gardner in Birmingham with another girl in the program. It was a bit hectic getting there between transfers, purchasing tickets, missing the train we thought we needed to get on (though it turned out just fine), and wandering around in a city we've never been to before, but the program was 100% worth it.

I've seen Lamb of God performed a few times, now, and so I wasn't expecting to cry much. I was wrong. I was in tears after the first few measures of the opening number, and those tears pretty much continued on and off throughout the entire performance. The Spirit was so strong and I felt my own spirit being lifted up in the beautiful music and testimonies that were being born through it.

Jesus Christ lived. He died for us, and it is because of Him that we are able to return to our Father in Heaven. He performed miracles while he was here on earth, and those miracles have never stopped. He truly did voluntarily give up his life for each one of us, and it is because of His sacrifice that death has no lasting power over us. Each person in that performance today had a testimony of Christ and they bore that testimony with their whole heart while they sang or played their instrument. Though the performance wasn't the best one I've seen technically, it was absolutely one of the most powerful ones I have seen. There is truth and power in a testimony born sincerely.

I walked out of the Town Hall on cloud nine. I felt as if I had feasted, and I never wanted that feeling to fade (I still feel great, if a bit tired). Katherine and I met up outside the Hall and started hurrying towards the train station (as we would have had to stay in Birmingham for three hours if we missed the 4:10 train).

I guess we were letting our American show, because some guy walked up to us and started talking to her and telling her that he thought she was really nice. He wanted her number and kept asking for it, saying how nice he thought she was. Then he called his friends over and I decided it was time to go when they started to spread out a little bit. I was really worried about pickpockets, but who knows what, if anything, their plans were. Maybe they were just there to be wing-men?

I grabbed Katherine's arm and said to the guy that we had to catch our train and that we were running late. We walked away, but this guy followed. His friends didn't, though, which was good. Also, we were on a busy walkway so we couldn't have been in too much trouble. There were too many people around. I think. I'm really just glad we left.

Anyways, this guy kept asking for Katherine's number and she kept trying to say no. He said several times that he wanted to take her out for coffee, and she said she didn't drink coffee and that she wasn't allowed to go out, anyway. I wanted him to leave so badly.

Leave he finally did when Katherine gave him a pass-along card, and we hurried to the train station in time to catch our train. Moral of the story? Tell everyone here you have a boyfriend. Or don't talk to strangers. Or look both ways before crossing the street. Or eat your vegetables. I'm sure it's one of those.

Catching the right train proved to be a bit of a problem, too. We got on three wrong trains before getting on the right one, but, thanks to a delay in the right train, we were on our way without too big of a problem. Also, due to the aforementioned delay, the platform switched on us so that was one of the reasons for confusion. It was so exciting! I was just grateful that I'd learned how to read a train platform board last summer. It proved to be a vital skill to have.

And so, even with all the crazy adventures that happened today, I think it was the most rewarding day (definitely the most spiritually-rewarding day) that I've had thusfar. The Gospel is true and I am so grateful for its influence in my life. What's more, I'm forever grateful all Christ has done for me. He truly loves each and every one of us, and that offers me so much peace. It offers hope. Though his death appeared devestating at the time, three days later He rose again. And, truly, it is where we can find hope. With God, all things are possible. We may not see how at the moment, but "Someday, sometime, we'll understand." We simply need to trust in God and everything will work out. They always do.

The Best Mueseum

This morning our program visited the Churchill Museum and war rooms. It was definitely my favorite museum I've been to here. It may even be my favorite museum ever! I love learning about WWII, and this museum was inspiring. I walked away feeling pride for the men and women who had served, and those who led them. I also had the strongest desire to watch WWII films. That didn't get accomplished today, though.

During the tour of the museum, the audio guide led us to a cafe located there. We looked in and found music from the forties and fifties playing softly and we decided that we liked it instantly. We then looked at the menu and found that it was the cheapest food we've seen in London! We went back to the cafe after we'd finished our tour and ate lunch there.

Sarah and Lizzie both got baked potatoes and I got the pasta. The pasta sauce was incredibly fresh and a little tart. It was like they took tomatoes and basil and stuck them in a blender and then heated it up. It was actually really good. And this was the first meal that I wasn't able to finish here. I wish we could go back all the time.

After the museum we were going to do another walk for our London Walks class, but it was rainy and cold, and both Lizzie and Sarah are sick, so we decided to postpone that for another day. We only have two more to do so we have some time.

Lizzie and Sarah went to see a show, and I went back to the Centre. I read, napped, and did some homework. Rainy days are cozy days for me. There's another reason I shouldn't live in London: my productivity on rainy days plummets! I love them, though. They're the perfect excuse to read a good book.

One of the war rooms

A wax figure of a guard that would have stood by the door to his rear

People weren't allowed out of here very often, I suppose. This sign described the weather up above ground.

Anyone wanting to visit the Prime Minister would have had to go through this room.

I really liked this

This made me cry. Upon his death, this cartoonist painted a tribute to him. It's 80-year-old Churchill surrounded by younger versions of himself, all of whom are toasting to him.

The war council room, I believe.

The small kitchen for the Churchills

Another war room

And then my camera battery died. It was a wonderful day. I'll remember it for a while, I think.

Paradise Found

Things I need to do tonight include homework and a blog post and I've spent the last who-knows-how-long just staring at my computer wishing I could be in bed for the night. I haven't been this tired since jet lag! But I wouldn't change anything I've done to get me to this current state of exhaustion because it's all been incredible.

It was an incredibly productive day today. We left the Centre shortly after breakfast and did another walk for our London Walks class. This one wasn't too long and I think we were done in an hour or so. After the walk that we had to spread over two days any walk seems short, though, haha!

We walked past the British Library and the British Library and actually popped inside both for various other assignments. We were efficient today. We also passed the University College of London. That was an interesting experience because walking by it felt no different than walking by a row of apartment buildings. We even walked through the campus, but it felt very much the same as other streets in London. I like my BYU campus at Provo. It has a wonderful feeling I haven't found on any other campus. Guess I'm at the right place, right?

After finishing the walk we headed over to Hamstead Heath to do another author assignment. The author today was John Keats. He was one of the Romantic poets who died young. He contracted TB and succumbed to that at age 25. He was unable to marry his fiance and she kept his letters to her until she died. Some of those letters are a bit much for me, but they really did love each other. Fanny didn't get married until twelve years after Keats's death.

On another note, Hamstead Heath is amazing. I don't want to live in London, but if I was supposed to live in London I'd want to live in Hamstead. It's technically part of London, but it feels like a completely different place. It's calmer, brighter, and happier. The pigeons are normal-sized and they're actually afraid of humans, unlike the terrifying ones in central London (we've gone to calling those P-O-U-S's, or Pigeons of Unusual Size). There's also a large swath of land that's called a park, but is really just a large expanse of land that was never settled. We didn't make it over there today, but I'd like to visit it again sometime. Basically, it's a sort of paradise.

I'm a fan of anesthesia so I was excited to see this one.

Oh look! They have New Heritage here, too!

Another tucked-away park. I'm always pleasantly surprised to find these.

We found Ghandi. He looked busy, though, so we didn't disturb him.

For those who are satisfied with being good enough. Is that a terrible joke?

I found the secret garden! I just couldn't find the key.

One of the many charming streets found in Hamstead Heath

Sometimes I take pictures of gardens and houses even though they belong to a complete stranger. It's not weird, I promise.

John Keats's home.

Meet Keats.

A blurry picture of Keats's copy of Paradise Lost

This is Keats's first published book of poems. His friends loved it, but it got essentially no other attention upon its publication.

I did a puzzle and though of my sister, Josie, the entire time.

Because where dress ups are, there we will be, also.

A miraculous picture of James smiling at the camera. His girlfriend lost her head, but at least she has a good sense of fashion.

The backyard at Keats' home

And then I came home and did homework and tried to muster up enough energy to write something. You should visit Hamstead Heath sometime.

Canterbury Tales

Today we took a day trip to Canterbury. The only exposure to Canterbury before today was in my early British Literature course (which I really didn't like) where we read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I much prefer the actual place to the collection of stories.

Our first stop was Canterbury Cathedral. This is purportedly the oldest cathedral (though that fact is disputed even among the employees there) and it has the longest quire. It was pretty. The crypt in the cathedral is enormous and--this is actually really cool--contains a chapel that has pre-Reformation art on the walls. Not only is that incredibly old, but it is incredibly, incredibly rare. It's so rare, in fact, that I don't know of another cathedral or abbey that contains it.

After the cathedral, Sarah, Lizzie, Kenna, Caitlin, and I wandered around Canterbury. It's a charming place and I loved our time there. We stopped in at a fruit stand Kenna remembers fondly from previous visits and Lizzie and I purchased peaches and strawberries. The peaches were far from ripe, but the strawberries were delicious. I have eaten so many strawberries here it's ridiculous. And also incredibly amazing.

We boarded the coach again and headed towards Bodiam castle. At this point, I was feeling quite ill (coach trips make me carsick like nothing else can), and the last thing I wanted to see was a castle. I wanted to be outside, not under another stone roof, and I wanted a chance to stretch my legs. As it turns out, Bodiam castle was the perfect place to be.

The roof of this castle was removed a long time ago, so we were in open air as much as we wanted to be. There were stairs leading up to towers that gave incredible views, and I was able to get to know a sweet girl in my program a little better. It was such a good experience and I'm so glad we went!

Our last stop was Beachyhead. I wasn't sure what this would entail, to be honest, but it was all I could ever want after a long coach ride. Beachyhead consists of beautiful white chalk cliffs, a blue ocean,  green expanses of grass, and freedom. We walked with Professor Talbot for a ways before he set us free, and I ran (voluntarily. Multiple times! I think the world might be coming to an end) with a couple of girls, Chloe and Amy, along the cliffs. The wind was blowing and I felt like I could have flown away if I had just been wearing a larger shirt. I was grinning the entire time, and I couldn't soak enough of it in. I feel as if I could have walked/ran along those cliffs forever.

I came back from the cliffs invigorated and so excited about life. I turned to Caitlin and Kenna and told them that that was my favorite thing and Caitlin pointed out that I say that after every place we go. But life is my favorite thing so everything else automatically falls under that, right? ;)

During the travel weekend Sarah and I wanted to make it to Dover. We didn't go because we were so exhausted, but Beachyhead was just as incredible. According to Professor Talbot, Beachyhead cliffs are like Dover but higher and whiter. So, basically, more incredible. I loved it so much and it definitely ranks as one of my favorite things I've done here. I think I say that about everything we do that takes us outside of London, but it's true. England is a beautiful country.

We then returned home and found a pizza place with incredible pizza. Seriously. I'm not usually a pizza person, but this was so incredible. It was like New York pizza, but in London. I wish I'd been able to drink root beer, though. I've been craving a root beer float for weeks now and those have proved extremely elusive as nobody here sells root beer! I'd never realized how much I take root beer for granted (because I don't actually like soda, either). Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

Because I had spent so much time sitting on a coach today I didn't want to sit anymore. Everyone else was exhausted because today was such a big day (and I was exhausted, too, but my desire to move won out) so I took myself on a walk in Hyde Park. Have I explained how much I love this park? It is seriously the most wonderful place and it's right by where I'm staying! I really should go there more often.

Now for some pictures!

This river was beautiful and it sort of reminded me of home.

Right outside the gates of the cathedral (the gates are to my back). There was a guy playing on the guitar. He was pretty good.

Cantebury is charming.

Canterbury Cathedral

I feel like every time I visit a cathedral or an abbey I walk out with a lot of pictures of vaulted ceilings, and an obscene number of pictures of stained glass windows. But they're so pretty, how can I not?

There was a compass on the floor of one of the halls.

I love how worn these steps are.

 Beautiful tiling

Okay I don't know if I was technically allowed to take this picture because it was sort of in the crypt where photography was prohibited, but there weren't actually any signs saying I couldn't take a picture of this and I was there with a director who was snapping pictures on her phone so. . . Yeah. Behold, a hanging man made of nails.

In the chapter house. . . I always think the chapter house is so beautiful. It's often simpler than the rest of the cathedral, and I love it.

I saw this table and flowers and it reminded me of my aunt Katie. Also, the lady in the restaurant was looking at me weird as I walked away.

At the fruit stand.

My bedroom wall is almost this same color. I was also wearing my favorite outfit and carrying a basket of strawberries. It was a good moment.

Strawberries for hours!

Bodiam castle

From atop one of the towers

I love the English countryside so much!

I told Chloe that, if I lived in a castle (and I'm glad I don't) I would spend as much time as possible on top of it. The view was incredible.

Amy

Chloe

Beachyhead!

Amy, one of the few times she wasn't running across the plains in excitement.

Chloe

Amy and Chloe

It's seriously my favorite place (and I say that all the time, but this was seriously so incredible).

Hyde park. I'm going to soak up as much of this park as possible before I leave.

And thus passed another incredible day. In another incredible place.