Finish Lines

There's a certain feeling that always accompanies the end of a school year. The sun seems to shine just a little bit brighter, a little bit warmer. The birds sing a just a little bit sweeter. You seem to smile just a little bit bigger, more frequently. There really is no better feeling.

Sure, there are still papers to do and exams to ace (or take), but there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. Suddenly, outside seems the best place to be all of the time, and you walk with your head up because, guess what, you're almost there. You're a few short days away from no more homework assignments, no more tests, no more heavy backpacks bursting at the seams with books and notes and knowledge.

There's something about being able to see the finish line that makes the race doable. Sometimes seeing the finish line is all you need for that last burst of energy to kick in and fly through to the end. It's remarkable, really.

So here's to finish lines. There are starting lines ahead, of course, but this race will soon be over.

That Awful Moment at the End of the Semester . . .

. . . When you go to the library to work on one of many papers due in the next few weeks and you have to focus on homework instead of losing yourself in the bookshelves. Seriously. It's the worst. I'm counting down the weeks until the end of the semester and--oh yeah--graduation.

The end of April cannot come quickly enough.

Otherwise life is really good. I'm a fan. :)

An Afternoon Well-Spent

Today was rainy and I had a large amount of reading to do for classes. Unfortunately, I ordered my books too late for the most important ones to be here at the moment, so I went about looking for other ways to accomplish the reading assignments from them.

I remembered one semester that I was in the same situation and I found that Barnes and Noble had the book at their store. I sat on the floor in the aisle and read from Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. I received my textbook in the mail shortly thereafter, and didn't have to repeat the practice of being the worst Barnes and Noble customer there is. But I do continue to look at the experience fondly. It was a wonderful adventure to have that evening.

I found myself in the same situation this afternoon and once again found the needed textbooks on the Barnes and Noble website. I found myself at the store thirty minutes later, wandering the aisles crowded with books, a faint smile on my face that wouldn't quite leave, the smell of glue and pages and pastries and coffee mixed together to create an enchanting feeling. Books whispered on the shelves promising adventure and experience and beauty.

I couldn't find the textbooks I needed and decided that they weren't actually to be found in the store after all. Instead of leaving, though, I continued to peruse the aisles. Technically speaking, I didn't find what I was looking for and found myself no closer to finishing my homework by the end of my outing so it could be seen as a waste of a trip.

The thing is, though, is that it was rainy today and I was in a bookstore. Therefore, there was no way the trip could have been a waste. Trips to the bookstore never are.

On Writing Papers

When I started college I hated research papers. I found them boring and technical and entirely irritating. I took a Freshman Writing course because it was suggested, and I figured it would be good preparation for the rest of my college experience. It was relatively useless because my AP English teachers in high school had been so incredible, but I did learn something towards the end of the semester.

We were to write a research paper as our final. My teacher decided to be nice and have it due the last day of finals (even though that was technically against the rules), and I, like many freshman, procrastinated like the best of them. I had managed to make it through my entire history of schooling writing papers the day before (sometimes even the morning of) the day they were due. I suppose a part of me assumed this would be similar.

I was entirely wrong. The morning the paper was due I had two, perhaps two and a half extremely rough pages. I don't remember the topic of my essay, but I do remember deciding that the last day of finals was going to be completely devoted to writing that paper.

I couldn't do it. Thanks to merciful angels in my life like my neighbor who sat by me and proofread while I wrote, that same neighbor who drove me to campus so I could turn in the essay (which I finished writing in the car), my classmate who printed my essay off for me after several failed attempts on my part, and my professor who let my classmate throw my essay into the box as he was picking it up to leave. That was the most stressful essay of my life, and I can't tell you how many pages it was (only that it was shorter than the minimum page requirement), I can't tell you what sources I used (though I can tell you that I used a citation generator to hurriedly get my sources into a semblance of a Works Cited page), and I can't tell you what I got on it, but I can tell you that I haven't turned in a paper that close to the deadline in over a year and a half.

Flash forward to my junior year: I took a creative writing class and, at the beginning of the semester, my professor told me that what we would learn would apply to scholarly writing in addition to creative writing. He told us that if we applied the principles we learned that semester, we would never have a hard time reaching a page limit again. Rather, he told us, we would find it difficult to stay within the limit. I didn't believe him. My entire junior year I felt very similarly about research papers as I always had, and I was always relieved to be at the minimum page requirement.

This year, though, something is different. I took another creative writing class from the same professor and, while he didn't give us the research paper comparison this time around, I feel like I finally understand what he was saying last fall.

As an English major I write a lot of papers. I take tests too, because that's what the university requires, but I write papers. And, because the university requires it, I write at least one research paper per class every semester (with the exception of Creative Writing). I always dread that assignment a little bit, but I've been surprised this semester by how much easier writing has become.

I have two 8-10 page research papers due this semester, one of which I have already turned in, the other of which I am currently taking a break from writing (so I'm obviously still not perfect at the no-procrastination deal). In the one I turned in already, I found myself cutting things out because I didn't have room to explore them in the allotted space. From how this current essay is going, I think I'll find myself doing the same thing. I guess my professors do know what they're talking about. I'm so glad to find out that they were right.

Geneva

Kenna and I are in our last hotel tonight. It's the most expensive one yet, but it's also the biggest and the most convenient. And it's the first time I've had a shower over here that I haven't been able to span with my arms akimbo. This hotel even has a shuttle that runs from the hotel to the airport! Unfortunately, my flight leaves too early tomorrow morning for that to be of any use to me.

When we talked to the person at the front desk of the hotel, she told me I could walk--that it's only a ten-minute walk and that it's safe because it's well-lit the entire way. We found out this afternoon that she may have been a bit optimistic; Kenna and I walked back to the hotel from the airport this afternoon and it took twenty minutes (downhill, without luggage). I was talking to my mom about how I'd have to start walking (on my own with all my luggage) at 4:30 in the morning and she suggested a taxi. That option is starting to sound quite appealing right now. I'm thinking I'll be doing that, especially if I'm going to be anywhere near as tired as I am today.

Kenna and I were both exhausted today. We were travelling for at least five hours straight this morning (which is draining in and of itself), and it's the very last day of our travels. All we want to do is sleep. But we did drag ourselves out onto the streets so we could say we'd seen at least some of Geneva. Goodness it was tough, though.

We both only wanted to see one thing here, each; I wanted to see the Jette d'Eau, and Kenna wanted to see the UN Office buildings. We sat for a long time trying to figure out the public transportation system (I miss London's so much!), and eventually made it out to the lake. It was beautiful and I'm glad we went, I just wish I hadn't been so tired.

Geneva seems like a cleaner, nicer, version of Paris. I think I would have loved it better, were I not sick of big cities. Each is unique, to be sure, but after a while they all start to feel the same. Maybe I'll come back someday when I'm not exhausted, and maybe then I'll fall in love with it.

After resting on the grass by the lake for a while, we decided to walk around. We headed towards the UN buildings, and saw some pleasant sights along the way. I wasn't feeling so well, so I didn't take many pictures, but it was beautiful.

We did manage to find the UN buildings, but there was a huge protest of sorts (something about Ghana) that prevented us from getting very close. We were more than a little uncomfortable, so we hopped on a train/bus/some sort of public transit, and headed back to the hotel. We accidentally got off two stops too early, so we had to wait for the next vehicle to come by. We got to the airport and walked back to the hotel. And that was today. I guess the two of us aren't as fun when we're both wiped.

This flower clock was much more impressive than the one in Edinburgh. . . Probably because it was completed.

The Jette d'Eau

Lake Geneva

Kenna offered to take a picture of me and the only thing I really wanted to see.

I don't actually know why I took this picture. . . But there you go.

I Don't Want to Climb the Matterhorn

Three more days until I'm home! Oh my goodness I can't wait.

Today was Sunday (and Father's Day), but it was a different sort of Sunday.

Earlier this week, Kenna and I looked up the nearest LDS meetinghouse to Wengen. It was located in Interlaken which was on our way to Zermatt, so we decided to go to sacrament meeting before heading to our next destination.

We ate breakfast as early and as quickly as we could, and we caught the 8:03 train to Lauterbrunnen. I was praying that we'd make it to Interlaken before 9:00.

We did make it before nine, and we headed South (we think) in search of the meetinghouse. We wandered/hurried down the streets of Interlaken until, thirty minutes later, we found ourselves back at the train station. We taken at least one wrong turn, and had gone in a big circle. Pulling my luggage. In our Sunday clothes. And the rain. By the time we made it back to the station we'd already missed the sacrament (and there was only one sacrament meeting there), so we opted to make our way to Zermatt.

We went to the information desk at the train station and asked the man the fastest way to get to Zermatt with the train passes we'd purchased in Geneva. He printed out a schedule for us and sent us on our way to catch the train that was departing in three minutes.

Kenna and I booked it through the station with my luggage, in our Sunday clothes, with my shoes getting knocked off every few feet. . . I'm sure we were quite the sight, but we made it onto the train with thirty seconds to spare.

When we got on the second train we realized that we were on a train that, on the map, was a dotted line, meaning that it was a reduction with our pass. I'm not entirely sure what that means, still, but I think we were supposed to purchase another ticket for that particular train and that we would get it at a reduced price.

The man at the first counter hadn't said anything about purchasing another ticket, so we'd just assumed that we were fine, but we were so worried during the entire train ride. We were lucky and the ticket man never made it to our car to check our tickets, so we still don't know what "reductions" means, but I'm glad we didn't have to find out the hard way. All the other trains we'll be using are good with our pass, though, which is immensely comforting.

We arrived in Zermatt just before noon, and found ourselves in a place that feels very much like Park City, Utah. We took it in for a minute, and then set off in search of our hotel.

We lugged my suitcases through the cobblestone streets, up and down hills, and across a couple of bridges before I remembered that I have data here and we turned on my maps app.

After a few more confusing turns, we found ourselves at the hotel. It was only later tonight that we figured out that we'd once again gone around in a big circle, and that our hotel is just up the street from the train station. I'm glad we figured that out before tomorrow morning, because I was not looking forward to a repeat of this afternoon's journey.

Kenna and I were both exhausted from yesterday, so we decided take it easy here. We really came here to see the Matterhorn (which we saw and documented), so after that we were pretty much content to see whatever. We figured we'd just wander and call it good.

We found a cemetery with really descriptive tombstones, and we spent some time reading about the many men who had lost their lives on the Matterhorn. Reading about how they died made me care a lot more about the fact that they died. Personal information will do that.

After the cemetery we meandered up and down the streets. The Matterhorn was incredible, of course, but I think both of us were more excited about the mountains that made it look like we were back in Utah. We are so ready to be back home.

This study abroad experience has been hard for me. It has been so rewarding and I am so incredibly grateful that I did it. I've learned so much, and this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, but there were some things that were hard about it. I've had to grow in unexpected ways, and I've learned a lot about myself in addition to other cultures. But growth is always difficult. It's good, but good things don't always come easy. If someone asked me if they should do a study abroad experience I would answer with a resounding "Yes!" but I'm glad that my experience is almost over. I'm ready for real life now.

Welcome to Zermatt. That river was the prettiest color.

I spy with my little eye. . . The Matterhorn. It's much cooler in real life than in Disneyland.

Me

Wandering in Zermatt

This place really is beautiful.

The church by our hotel

Kenna

The graveyard. This was the little one behind the church. We read every tombstone here. Then we walked a little ways and found a larger graveyard, but we didn't go into that one. One graveyard was enough.

It really is quite incredible.

We found a couple of older guys playing tennis so we stopped to watch them for an hour or so.

Stalker picture of Kenna

The Day I Saw the Queen

Today the Queen of England celebrated her official birthday (her actual birthday is April 21st, but England celebrates the official birthday of the monarchy on the second Saturday of June). There was a parade in St. James' Park, and the whole royal family was there! So I was lucky enough to see Queen Elizabeth II on my last Saturday here. What are the chances of that?

The parade itself started at ten o'clock this morning. Hannah (another girl in the program) and I went to the parade together and we found a pretty good spot on the second or third row alongside the road (we got there early). I turned around just before the parade started and was amazed by the number of people who had filled in the steps behind us. Everyone loves the Queen.

I love parades, so this was so much fun for me. There were probably about five or six marching bands (I lost count) who passed by, and all of them had a bassoonist. That is the first time I've ever seen a marching bassoon, and I was impressed. Those things aren't easy to move around with.

After most of the marching bands had passed, the carriages began to show up. William and Kate were in the first one, and then there were two others with people I, unfortunately, didn't recognize. We then waited for a while longer, and another marching band (this one on horses) began to pass our way. In the middle of the horses was a carriage pulling the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth is an adorable human being.

After that we decided to leave. Apparently there was a flyover a few hours later, and the Royal family waved from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, but we didn't wait for that. I went to the Natural History Museum instead.

After finals I'm always exhausted, no matter how easy or difficult they've been. So a part of me was tempted to stay inside and be utterly boring. But then I remembered that this was essentially my last day in London, so I decided to visit the museum I was most excited to see.

It was incredibly crowded, but it was a lot of fun being there. It's a very interactive museum, so I only took one picture on my way out (sorry, you'll have to visit yourself one day). It actually made me feel good about the education I've received, because I'd learned a lot of what the museum was saying before. It was wonderful to have a refresher, though, because I haven't exactly felt the need to remember all those facts about rocks and cells and volcanoes.

After the museum I went back to the Centre and chatted with my roommates. This is the last night we'll all be here in this room together because most of them are leaving tomorrow. And it's over, just like that. What a time it's been.

The first marching band

Do you see the bassoon? He's on the front row, third or fourth from the back.

William and Kate

The fanciest guard we saw. This group was right before the Queen's carriage.

And there she is! Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.

And the hordes of people behind me. . . I've decided that I don't much fancy large crowds like this.

In the Natural History Museum. I know it's a different dinosaur, but all I thought of was Night at the Museum.

And that was today! It's been a lovely experience here in London, and I can't wait to see what Paris and Switzerland bring.

Tea and Little Venice

The term ended today. It's sort of amazing to think about, really. I simultaneously feel as if I've been here forever and that my life here just started. It's an interesting sensation. I still remember clearly the first night I was here; I needed an adapter for my computer and when I went to pay for one I ended up holding out my hand with a bunch of coins that meant nothing to me and the cashier picked out the right amount. It was embarrassing, but it was also my first day. Experiences like that happened for about a week, but then I started to get the hang of it. I can now recognize the currency here almost as well as the U.S. currency I was raised with, I can navigate the tube system by myself, and I can figure out where I'm supposed to be going most of the time. I'd say the term was a success if this was all I learned, but I learned so much more. I learned about literature and music and art, of course, but I also learned about people and culture and myself. This is absolutely something I'll be grateful for for the rest of my life.

Our Fine Arts final was this morning, and I think I finished it in just over fifteen minutes. I hope I did well because there were definitely things I guessed on, but there were also things that I know I got for sure. I feel pretty good about it. I guess we'll see what I get in a bit.

I left the Centre to visit Parliament a little after nine, so I wasn't expecting it to be blisteringly hot yet. I'd worn a dress today because it was warm, but even with a warm-weather outfit I was sweating before I reached the tube station. That was pleasant.

I got back from Parliament and I was a bit grumpy because I was hot and sweaty and I don't like being so sweaty after a leisurely stroll. Next time I'm grumpy I need to remember to listen to this song sooner. . . It cheers me up like little else. Also, pretty much every busker sings it in the subway which is fun and happy and I always walk away with a smile.

Caitlin made reservations for us at the Kensington Garden Orangery for afternoon tea at noon, so we (Caitlin, Kenna, Sarah, Mary, Lizzie, and I) got dolled up (ish. I didn't do a whole lot because sweat) and headed over. It was pricey, but delicious, and the experience was worth every penny.

Because we were so dolled up (most of the group was wearing hats, and we were all wearing dresses) we had several people taking our picture. They started asking if they could about five people in. It was funny, but I would've preferred to not have been such the subject of attention. Blending in is much more pleasant most of the time.

Most of the people taking pictures of us were French tourists (thought there was one British lady who asked, too), and we finally asked one woman to take a picture of us with our (read Mary's) camera. Mary is a photographer and so she has a big, nice, and marginally-intimidating camera. The woman got scared and ran to get her husband who was a professional. He also struggled, though, and started trying to communicate in broken English and a lot of French I couldn't understand something about the camera focusing.

After he took a picture (it didn't include the entire table, just a few of us), one of the French women asked, "Haven't any of you studied French?" The group pointed to me and I had to explain that my education didn't include photography terminology. It also made me a bit nervous for spending time in Paris. . . But hey! Adventures can be a lot of fun. I'll take it as it comes :)

After tea Mary took a bunch of pictures, and I left in the middle because I was stressed about getting all my homework done (I had one more walk to do today). The walk was short, though, so it wasn't a big deal. I probably could have stayed longer, but better to have an assignment safely completed.

Again, the weather was sweltering. If yesterday was a million and three degrees, today was two-million and fifty-seven. It was actually only eighty-one, but the humidity killed me. I can't wait for my desert air!

The walk I did today was Little Venice. Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. It was teeny for one thing, and the streets were indistinguishable from any other high-end London street for another. I don't know what I was expecting (music, pasta, color?), but it wasn't what I got. I guess I'll just have to visit actual Venice someday! The canal was pretty cool, though. I will give Little Venice that much.

After dinner I had no plans except think about writing a blog post (while distracting myself a little longer with fairy tales) when Amy invited me on a spur-of-the-moment evening adventure. We walked from the Centre to Primark (which is all the way in Oxford Circus) to get these cute, inexpensive (and possibly cheap as well, but hopefully not) rain jackets called parka-in-a-pocket.

Primark is a great place for deals, but it's also a bit of a nightmare. It's like Black Friday every single day. All day. It's sort of terrifying, actually. We made it out alive, though, and got ice cream cones at McDonald's to celebrate. Then we headed home (on the tube this time). It started raining and it was the most wonderful thing that could have happened weather-wise today. We were so excited about the rain that we kept our newly-purchased rain jackets in the bags and let the rain get us wet. It was pretty great. Life is good.

This was before they brought out the tea and all the treats that came with it, but it's still a good picture.

Seen on my walk. It was sort of nice doing it alone after I figured out where the map was trying to take me. One day I'll be better at reading maps. Probably. Maybe not. But probably.

There's something about these trees that reminds me of Dr. Seuss.

No, the camera is not leaning, the wall is. I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be that way, but who knows? You never can tell in London.

The most redeemable sight from the walk.

St. Mary's Church. It was small, but pretty.

Only a few more days here! I wonder what they'll bring. Maybe I'll see the Queen :)

(Truly) The Best Day

I know I say that pretty much every day was the best day or my favorite day and that nearly every place is my favorite, but this time it's true. Today topped every other day here (especially as far as feelings go). Today, we went to the London Temple.

It was a bit busy getting off, as travel always is, but it was worth every stress, every penny (or pence), and every worry. The temple is always worth it.

We left the Centre this morning at 6:50 and I miraculously made it out of my room without waking anyone up. Apparently they were a bit concerned that I wasn't there and that I'd made my bed all before seven o'clock. They figured it out though, no worries.

As for my part, I bought a train ticket that I didn't use correctly which ultimately resulted in me being charged an extra 1.30 pounds. But it's all good. My ticket wasn't that expensive. :)

When the taxi dropped us off at the temple I couldn't help but smile. We were here! I'd finally made it to the temple! Whatever else happened, I made it to the temple. And that is a wonderful thing.

Our appointment was at ten and we had about forty-five minutes to spare when we got there, so we went to the visitor's center. There was a senior missionary couple working there and they were the happiest people I've met in a while. They were so excited to see us (they didn't have any appointments for that day so they thought nobody would come) and we chatted for some time. Then the sister missionaries joined us and talked about how much they love their mission and how we should all think about serving. It's nice to see missionaries who love what they do so much. Missionaries are wonderful.

As soon as I walked into the Visitor's Center I was enveloped with peace. I knew I missed going to the temple often, but I hadn't realized just how intense that missing-of-it was until I found the peace that only the temple can bring once more.

I am so thankful that I live so close to the temple back home. In fact, I live next to several and I don't think I've ever fully realized what an enormous blessing that is. I hope not to take it for granted again.

The temple itself was beautiful inside and out (the grounds were magnificent). Because it's a smaller temple and it wasn't busy, we had a devotional of sorts before doing any baptisms. We sang "I Believe in Christ,"  one of the girls prayed, and another gave a brief spiritual thought. It was nice being able to get into the right mindset before the baptisms. I love that I was given that opportunity to serve.

After we had all changed back into our church clothes we were shown the restaurant and were invited to come back at noon (forty minutes from when we were done) if we were hungry. We took them up on the offer and I was glad we did.

In the in-between time we went out and sat on the grass, chatted, and most of the girls fell asleep. Shelby and I got up and wandered around the grounds, and I loved every minute of it.

This trip took all day, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. The temple is always worth it.

The temple group. Dr. Durham began referring to us as "The Templars." From left to right: Me, Amy, Lauren, Shelby, Claire, Gabby, Hannah

The London Temple

And me. The sun was really harsh, but it's a memory :)

Rhododendron bushes. I can't ever remember the name of these. . . I know what they are, I've read about them, and every time I read the word it resembles something like, "rodendron" or "rohedron." Struggles.

Some of the grounds. There were ponds, bridges, so many trees, and a rhododendron forest.

I spy with my little eye the happiest place.

Shelby found a bench in one corner of the grounds. I don't think we made it all the way through them.

Rhododendron bushes (just so you know, I looked up the flower so I could spell it correctly and then I just copied and pasted. So I still have no idea how it's really spelled).

Oh. So it was approximately one million and three degrees today and we're on the top floor of the Centre. Without air conditioning. For reasons not entirely clear to me we've only been using one fan this whole time, but today we couldn't take that anymore. So we opened the door (which we were told not to do because an alarm would sound. . . it didn't) and turned both fans on. And then Kenna found a bit of peace.

And that was today. I have a final tomorrow morning, and I have to finish the last assignment for Dr. Talbot's class, but then I'll be done. And I'm done with studying so. . . here goes nothing. Wish me luck!