Week 4 - Finals and SUNSHINE!

London Trip (Round Two)

Big Ben!

Kirsten and I decided to break from the group on our London Trip (which was included in the tuition of PKP). We were dropped off by Big Ben and decided to make our way around the side of London that we didn't cover on our first journey. We started at Big Ben and Westminster Abbey where we walked around and took pictures. Because it was a Sunday (July 22) we were unable to go into the Abbey because of services, but it is always spectacular to look at from the outside. We made our way over by the London Eye and the Aquarium before starting on our journey to see all the bridges and make sure we knew our way well enough to get to the Globe Theatre. 

We followed the Jubilee path down the River Thames. Here we saw food festivals and museums as well as Olympic activities for families to participate in. We passed the Millennium Bridge, London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Following the path was a lot of fun because you were able to see many hidden treasures of London such as a Pirate ship and great restaurants...even a hidden castle! Or at least what's left of one. Haha. There were lots of really cool statues of the Olympic mascots scattered along the path and in fact all over London. Each mascot is painted differently to represent British landmarks and culture. 

Tower Bridge

After walking around the bridges we headed across the way to see the Tower of London. Sadly I did not want to pay to go in again so we decided not to go in this time. I would suggest that you go in if you have the time or come in on a weekend and do one of the night tours. The Tower is one of my favorite places in London out of the tourist attractions. It has such great history! We also walked to the Monument which was an incredible statue. It's so out of place with all the tall modern building surrounding it. I imagine that when it was first put up it was taller than everything around it. Now it is dwarfed in comparison! 

Covent Garden

We continued our walk to Convent Garden where we had lunch. I absolutely adore Convent Garden. We walked by the shops so I could see if the Fred Perry store was still where I remember it being and sure enough it was! FACT: If you want to do some cool shopping and grab some great food, GO HERE! We ate some lovely pub food before continuing our wandering. 

We finished our walk at St. Paul's Cathedral, which sadly we were not able to enter for the same reasons as Westminster Abbey. From the outside it is daunting and resembles what one might imagine to be a government building. There were many people seeking shade in its gardens. I would love to come back and take a tour of the cathedral.

The Globe Theatre

Finally we walked back to the Globe to see Richard III. Kirsten and I were there quite early so we stood in line to get towards the front of the stage as groundlings. I have seen one other play at the Globe, "As You Like It" but I had seats that year. There's something magical about seeing a play in Shakespeare's theatre. FACT: The companies that perform here are always all men! No matter how serious the play is, seeing men play women is always entertaining. The actor who played Richard III was very good and made the history enthralling rather than boring. One of the actors on stage was also an actor in Harry Potter (I believe he played Barty Crouch). I always find British actors to be very versatile in their ability to go from film to television to stage.

All in all we had a great adventure in London.

Classes

Finals always tend to scare me, but in all honesty they weren't bad at all. I finished one of my papers early so that I wouldn't need to worry about it while studying and working on my group project. The group project ended up being a little stressful. I volunteered to work on the powerpoint which proved to take me six hours. But once my group gave the presentation, I was all smiles and delighted at a job well done. I love doing presentations because it actually involves people. Something I have enjoyed from my experience in Cambridge is truly working with people and getting to know them, a trait that you hardly see in many American classes. HINT: As to the finals, I'd say to any potential student that they aren't as bad as you'd imagine. Just relax and be confident that you've studied and know the material. The library will become your best friend for a week, but it will be worth it. Hopefully I get my grades back with high marks. :)

Plenary Lecture, Formal Hall, and Afternoon Tea

Gardens of Pembroke

I absolutely adored the Olympic Ideal Plenary Lecture! It was excellent. There were three speakers who talked about various aspects of the games. The first speaker talked about the history of the games and the different values that are associated with it. The second speaker discussed how the Olympics have become commercialized in order to keep them going because of the fees. He pointed out how he felt this was a bad development and that it took away the value from the sports. The final speaker was a former Olympic rower from Pembroke. She had won silver and attended three Olympics. She talked about the different aspects of being an Olympian. It was interesting to hear how hard it was for her being in a sport that you have to fund yourself until you get more recognition for it or get better. She talked about how every aspect of your life is run by your sport and your desire to continue doing your sport at a high level. The dieting, exercising, lack of social life, and amount of time dedicated solely to your sport. It makes me think of my cousin, Shea, who has worked so hard to make our Men's Water Polo team. I can't imagine giving everything up in pursuit of your Olympic dreams. She also talked about how returning to your country as an Olympian comes with a certain respect from your fellow citizens. It's because you are now a role model. What a joy, but also what a responsibility. This was my favorite plenary lecture to attend. It really struck a cord with me.

Julie and I at formal at Pembroke College

I attended afternoon tea at Pembroke College. I love afternoon tea because it is so formal and really tasty. It has a lot of tradition behind it. We ate scones, cakes, and sandwiches. It was all delicious and it was fun meeting new people (as there was no one I knew signed up for this particular tea). I also attended the Formal Hall at Pembroke with Julie. The gardens at Pembroke are really pretty and are great for taking pictures haha. We sat by some people I had never met and had a great time. After the dinner was over we took a photo shoot around Pembroke and explored.

Meeting McFLY

Traveling to Birmingham

Beautiful day to travel

I left early on Saturday July 21 in order to meet McFLY. Although I have met them many times, it is always nice to get the opportunity to meet them again throughout the years. I know this sounds lame and like a fan girl, but it is like seeing an old acquaintance after a lot of time has passed. Every time you see someone, something has changed. 

It took about 2.5 hours to get to Birmingham and it is not exactly a place I would recommend going to. To be completely honest I found it to be rather intimidating as an industrial city. I got quite lost coming out of the station despite having directions because I could not find a street sign when I came out of the station. I asked various people for directions and eventually got to the hotel, but not before going through back alleys and streets that were off the beaten track. 

Meeting the Boys

I always enjoy meeting British fans. This time I met two lovely girls who were very curios about my time here in England and my life in America. We talked about the boys coming to LA in September. Eventually the boys came out late and we began our journey around the room trying to meet all four of them. 

I cannot hide my disgust at how the Meet and Greet was run. The British love to queue yet there wasn't one in sight! I could not believe there were no lines and it was just a free for all to meet the lads. It was frankly embarrassing in my opinion (which is one of someone who has run meet and greets and organized signings). I almost went into street team mode to get everyone in lines but it would be of no use because people were too pushy and parents were shoving their children to the front. I think what got me the most was that you have to pay in order to go to these meet and greets and the fact that most girls only met 3 of the boys despite paying for membership appalls me. If it is a paid event you better make sure that everyone gets their chance. RANT OVER. Haha.

Tom Fletcher

The first person I met was Tom. It was nice to be recognized by him as I started to make my way through the crowd. He remembered that I was a Pioneer Presenter at Bournemouth last Spring and was very happy to see that I had traveled again to see them. He said that it was quite lucky I got tickets to the show as they sold out and he was excited to come back to California. I gave him a congratulations card for his wedding.

Danny Jones

The next person I made my way to was Danny. As usual he was being extremely loud from his corner of the room and causing chaos. It was odd to see that he now has clear braces. He was walking around with no shoes on because he was having an operation on his toe. This led to quite a challenge for over eager girls because they had to avoid stepping on his feet. His security didn't look to pleased having to deal with this added danger. As he signed my picture he commented that he remembered taking that picture but couldn't remember where the interview had happened. I reminded him it was at Bournemouth and he said he remembered that interview. I always take the worst pictures with Danny. Such a bummer! I feel like such a fan girl reporting this meeting, but oh well!

Harry Judd

I made my way to Harry who's crowd was finally getting smaller. As I approached he said, "I recognize you. Where have I met you before?" I told him I had interviewed them at Bournemouth and that I was the girl from California who still knew about them from last time they came Stateside. He said I should bring friends to the show in September. Hopefully I will be able to manage to get some of my friends who are going with me to meet them. Ideally they would be able to remember my face in the crowd of new fans and somehow I can pull off a nice meeting for my friends who have never had the chance to meet them. I had Harry sign something for Kaitlin for her birthday. But that is a story I cannot add here in case she reads it as she wants to be surprised by what it is and what it says. I gave Harry a card congratulating him on his engagement. What is it with these boys finally growing up? Makes me realize that I am growing up too. 

Dougie Poynter

The last person that I went to say hi to was Dougie. Sadly I was only able to get signatures from him because the time had run out and he could no longer take pictures. I had him sign a picture of him wearing the shirt I gave him last year on stage. He told me that he only wore it on that tour and then lost it but he loved that shirt. I handed him a shirt I bought him to replace it and hopefully he wears it again. I think him wearing my shirt on stage is one of my best memories from last year's trip to England. It's nice to see the more talkative Dougie that has emerged in recent years. I remember the first time I met him when he was very shy and would only make really odd faces in pictures. Now he won't stop talking!

Sadly I missed the train I wanted to go on by about 5 minutes and had to wait an hour to catch the next one to Cambridge, but all in all it was a great trip as usual to see McFLY. 

Look how young they are!

What's Happening Recently

• Today (July 23) marks two years of One Direction :)
• Next week (from when this should have been written) the Olympics start

Week 3 at Cambridge

Week Three at Cambridge consisted of lots of homework, a formal hall and a visit from Tayla.

Classes

Walking from class.

In Business Management and Ethics, our final projects are getting into full swing. It's been interesting working with people from different countries. In my group we have 3 American students and 4 Chinese students. We have decided to do a business plan for a handbag company that we are naming La Reine. We are currently trying to do market research through online surveys and observing the people of Cambridge. 

Tayla and her first cuppa in a month.

We watched "The Counterfeiters" in order to look at a real life example of how to apply ethics. The movie was about Jewish people working in a concentration camp to counterfeit first the British pound and then the American dollar. The ethical dilemma occurs when they realize they are helping the Germans prolong the war, but if they stop then they will be killed. At the same time the work in a better environment than their fellow men who are only a few yards outside their enclosure. I found this movie to be very moving and really enjoyed it. After the movie we talked with our Mr. Silberzahn about his experience growing up in Germany and how Germans view World War II and the Holocaust. I personally am obsessed with Holocaust movies, but I never even imagined talking to a German about their thoughts on the matter. It was very enlightening to find out more regarding how the subject matter is taught in schools and how Jewish people are viewed today. As someone who's grandparents directly felt the effects of WWII (being from Holland and the Philippines) I always viewed the war through the eyes of occupied nations but I never sat to consider the effects on the German people. Learning about a different world view was very beneficial. 

We now have a new lecturer for Business Creativity and Innovation who will be lecturing on Creativity in a very academic manner. I am very curious as to how this will go because when you think about creativity you don't typically associate it with academic endeavors. 

Formal Hall

Yuwen, Mr. Silberzahn, and I at formal dinner.

Kirsten and I switched our formal hall day to the one on Monday because I had the movie to watch for class on the day that I originally signed up for. The formal hall was a lot of fun because I didn't know a lot of people going to this one at King's. It forced me to meet new people even though we are only three weeks into the program. Kirsten and I ended up sitting separately with different groups, so we put ourself into a position to have to talk to others. My teacher, Mr. Silberzahn, sat next to me as well as one of my classmates, Yuwen. Yuwen is in my Ethics seminar and we are working closely on our presentation and business plan. 

Our table enjoyed talking about various topics including politics, travel, and living in different countries. I think my favorite conversation was with Yuwen about the different laws in China. Specifically we talked about the one child rule and various stereotypes in China regarding women. Something I have very much enjoyed about this program is that it is international and you can learn so much about nations that you never really learn enough about from textbooks or the news.  

Fruit salad, yummy yummy! (with Megan) 

After the formal hall Yuwen, Kirsten, Mr. Silberzahn, and I got a group together to hang out at some of the bars and continue our conversations. Something unique from this experience is realizing that many of your teachers are PhD candidates and they aren't that much older than you. They really would like to get to know their students from other countries because as cheesy as it sounds, they want to learn from you as much as you want to learn from them. We started out by going to the BATH HOUSE and then carried onto the COW after the Bath House closed. It was a great time having a laugh with friends and getting to know everyone better. Something else about British culture that I have grown to love is the pub culture. People don't always go out to party. Rather they go out to hang out and meet new people. 

Playing 10 Fingers/Never Have I Ever is ridiculous.

HINT: get to know your teachers and be sure to go hang out with them. They have a lot of insight and can be really fun people. You have this opportunity that you rarely see in other countries where the teachers are around your age and they want to be in a sense "friends". You never know what opportunities could come from getting to know your teachers. Many of them hold jobs that are in the field you want to go into, so why not gain as much knowledge from them as possible?

Tayla Time & Nightlife

Skipping through the rain after Magic Mike

Tayla arrive on Tuesday after a very hectic and sad day. Unfortunately after her month walking across Spain her purse was stolen at Heathrow. I felt so bad for her because her camera was stolen! What a terrible thing to happen to someone. I feel that pictures are the ultimate keepsake from travels and in life. I know my pictures would be the first thing I would save in a fire. It is unimaginably painful to lose something like that. But Tayla was happy that it wasn't worse. She still had her passport which was the most important part, as well as her credit cards and debit cards.

Tayla, Spencer and I covered in foam

On Wednesday I took Tayla to see Magic Mike and then out to FEZ which is right next to Ta Bouche. 

As mentioned in my first post, I had already seen Magic Mike, but because of the dancing I was willing to pay to see it again. It was fun to watch everyone react to the movie differently. Seeing it a second time I was able to pick up on different things I hadn't noticed before. The general agreement was that the acting was terrible and the plot got really lame at the end BUT the dancing was to die for. 

Chrisitine, Tayla, Tevita, Zack and I at Fez

I had never been there before, but it was a lot of fun. Many PKP and UC Travel Study people went because our PAs got us discounts for the foam party.I wasn't quite sure what foam meant but it was pretty much TONS of bubbles that got everywhere and made you soaking wet. Overall it was a fun experience despite getting drenched. HINT: Wear a swimsuit! It is so helpful to be able to take off your good top and not have to care what happens to your suit. I cannot stress how nice it was wearing my rain boots, shorts, and a swimsuit and not having to care. So much easier! 

Kirsten, Zack, Tevita, Tayla and I in our VIP area at Lola Lo's!

The next night Tayla went out with Tevita and Zack while I stayed in to get my homework done and sleep. On Friday we went out to Lola Lo's because we got free VIP access! It was awesome! They put up a promotion saying that if it was anyone's birthday to write on their Facebook post and they would email two winners of a VIP table, free entrance, and a free bottle of vodka. I wrote on the post saying that my friend from the States was here and got her purse stolen and although it isn't her birthday we would like to treat her as if it were. I received a message shortly after saying that we got the table!! It was a lot of fun and just what Tayla needed :) We were given a £95 bottle of vodka and mixers as well as our own waitress for the night. Although Lola's wasn't as crowded as it is on Thursdays and Saturdays, it was still a great evening. I think I am finally inheriting my mom's uncanny luck! HINT: On Facebook, always add clubs and venues to your likes. This will enable you to see promotions going on so that you can save money and have a great time!

Mouth of Tyne

A Concert in a Castle

Tynemouth Castle

On the 13th of July Kirsten and I made our way back up North to see the lovely McFLY boys in concert. This was Kirsten's first time seeing them so it was very exciting. The day was as follows...

Traveling to Tynemouth

Magazine at the station. HARRY AND CAGGIE!

First I would like to start off with how to pronounce this city's name. TYNEMOUTH sounds like "tine...mouth". I still am not positive if this is actually correct. We decided to catch the later train at 10:00 AM rather than 9:00 AM. HINTS: From King's College if you are walking briskly you can make it to the train station in about 30 minutes. I suggest leaving about an hour early so that if you get lost or have any mishaps you can have some time to breath once you get your ticket and are ready to go. I have also seen my student rail card pay for itself from all my traveling and it will only get better as I travel more. HIGHLY SUGGEST if you are even going to an airport twice that you buy one. I know I have mentioned it before, but it really proves to be worth while quickly. We took the train changing at Peterborough to Newcastle where we hopped on the Metro to Tynemouth. The trip in total was approximately 5 hours. On the train I did some reading and napping while Kirsten worked on one of her essays. All in all it was a nice and relaxing trip in my opinion. 

Bronte Room #2

No. 61 & Lui's

We arrived at our bed and breakfast to find that it was ADORABLE and the people who own it are lovely. Barbara was so nice and they remembered my mom calling to tell them we were coming and that it was a last name none of them could pronounce. Ha! We stayed in the Bronte room (great names right!) and had a quaint view of the main street where the festivities were going to take place. We were so lucky that it was clear outside! We had no rain (although some wind) and there was a view of the ocean too. I am so glad that they had a cancellation that we could take. We met some fans and their parents from Missouri at breakfast who also had a cancellation. What a great and inexpensive place to get to stay!

Kirsten and I excited for the show

Before going to dinner we met up with Neil (McFLY's guitar tech) and had a good chat about our lives and plans for McFLY in the future. Here I will share some of these facts in case anyone is interested. McFLY are currently writing for One Direction and the song they are working on in studio currently will most likely be 1D's new single. Also McFLY are considering making another real pass at the US. Who knows...maybe they will be an opening act or maybe they will do a smaller scale tour. Either way I am just happy they are coming back and that my friends who had never heard of them until they met me get to see them. It's weird to think about how long ago I saw McFLY in California (2006) and how much has changed since then. This was my 3rd meeting with Neil in England since then and it's odd to think 6 years have gone by and where we both are now in our lives. I am very curious to see what type of crowd comes out to the shows in America. Who knows, I may even see some of the old fans I saw way back then.

We went to Lui's for dinner and it was really great food. Kirsten and I both had calamari and tomato soup with a lovely cider named OLD ROSIE. I highly recommend it. I was surprised how good it tasted because it had a bit of a high alcohol content for a cider and I expected it to be bitter. It definitely gave us some warmth to keep away the cold during the time before McFLY came on stage.

The Beach

When people think of England they aren't really thinking about the beaches...and even if they were I suggest you don't speak to me about beaches because I am from California and will probably laugh at you if you try. It was really cool to see a beach in England though. I stood there and considered that I am standing on completely different ground. I was touching water from a whole different coast. That this place I am in is entirely different from where I am from. This is what I think is the beauty of studying abroad. You are getting a new experience and seeing a different world. The beach was very cool and it has a view of the castle from its shores.

McFLY!

It is hard to talk about McFLY without sounding like a fan girl (which I suppose you could call me if you really wanted, but I just prefer dedicated fan). This was my 3rd time seeing them live in concert while in the UK and it was fantastic. Compared to the arena tours it wasn't as flashy. It was really cool to see it as more of a festival set up. I always love meeting fans from other countries. We met a girl who is studying abroad in Italy who came over to see them play. She is originally from Ohio and had missed the opportunity to see the boys last time they were in the USA because she didn't know who they were at the time. She and Kirsten both bought different merchandise to take home as souvenirs. 

Bassist for The Struts

The opening act for the boys was THE STRUTS who I saw them play with last Spring. It's not that they are bad at all, I just can't stand the lead singer. He reminds me of a strange cross between Jagger and Steven Tyler. Overall he just has a very weird vibe to him and when you are trying to watch the other band members you get really distracted by his antics on stage. Neil told me that they changed up a few of the band members, but I was not lucky enough for them to have changed the lead singer haha. On a brighter note though they did change the bassist to a very cute guy and I thoroughly approve of that! Is it bad to say that I wouldn't mind seeing them again if it meant that I got to meet the bassist? I am pretty sure the rest of the crowd share my opinion.

Team Flones jammin'

The boys came on stage around 7:30 PM and played until 9:00 PM. It was a proper gig which was unexpected! I loved when they played the new material (RED and TOUCH THE RAIN) and when they did the medley/mash up. It was nice to hear some of the old songs as well because when they do the arena tours they tend to play songs from the album that the tour is named for or trying to promote. Sadly they didn't play No Worries, but I can cross my fingers for future shows. As usual the guys were up to their antics on stage. They were doing Geordie accents and making fun of each other. At one point Dougie took off his over shirt to reveal a t-shirt, but they made a big deal about it as if he was stripping. The showmanship that they have on stage creates a contagious smile in the audience. I think this is one of the reasons I like them so much, because they are true performers who write their own material and love their fans. 

The sun came out about 8:00 PM which was great. As you can see in the videos, you sometimes can't make out their faces because the sun is so bright. What a great backdrop for a show! The sun was brilliant, the beach is in the back ground and you are in a castle. I can honestly say I don't think I will ever have an experience like this again, especially not back in the States. 

The set list was as follows (but not necessarily in order):

• Nowhere Left to Run
• One for the Radio
• Star Girl
• Don't Stop Me Now
• Lies
• Red
• Obviously
• All About You
• Everybody Knows (with Medley)
• Transylvania 
• 5 Colors in Her Hair
• Shine a Light
• Touch the Rain

Things Going on Recently

Happy 27th Birthday, Tom!

• Tayla arrived yesterday from Spain. Sadly her purse got stolen as soon as she got into Heathrow :(
• Today (as in July 17th)is Tom Fletcher's 27th birthday
• Will Robin van Persie stay with Arsenal?! 
• I have learned that there is something called Geordie Shore here that is similar to Jersey Shore back home. Apparently they say "WHY AYE!" which means "yes". Personally I feel that you should just say yes because it is shorter. Haha!

Week 2 at Cambridge

An update from my second week of classes:

It feels like ages since I left home to come to Cambridge when in reality it has only been two weeks. I can already tell that it is going to be hard for me to leave...but let's not talk about that now. I still have 6 weeks to have a blast! It still amazes me every time I walk in and out of Kings that I live here. I always feel so special flashing my purple card to get into the college.

I am getting more used to my living quarters. I have posters for my room, but I am not sure how exactly I can get them up. The cleaning lady gave me a piece of paper that has instructions on what I can and cannot put on my walls. I will have to ask around to see what other people are doing. The bathrooms are still a bit of a mystery. FACT: When taking a shower the bathtub will fill with the excess cold water in order to get the hot water to come out of the spout. You will be standing in COLD water up to at least your ankles, so prepare yourself. Also they shut off the warm water late at night and don't turn it back on until early in the morning so plan accordingly. 

Classes

Some updates from my classes include:

• Started a group project in Business Ethics (I also STILL don't have a course reader...google is becoming my best friend)
• We are in teams to create our own business
• I am in charge of Marketing
• We have chosen La Reine as our brand name and we are selling purses
• Help me out by taking my survey!!! Thanks :)
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEd4eXF4SV9VUHh6MzlHTTNCUFBFOWc6MQ
• Business Innovation and Creativity has been more challenging than expected
• There is a lot more theory than I had imagined
• The seminars are a lot of fun, but have gotten progressively harder
• FACT: Ask your lecturer what readings to do because in this case he only has certain ones that he cares about us reading at all

Day and Night

During the days I have found that my schedule consists of a lot of napping on my part because I wake up for 9 AM class every day and then have some giant gaps in my schedule. This week Kirsten and I watched the Bachelorette. We caught up finally! FACT: If you use your school's VPN network it believes that it is coming from the US, therefore you are able to watch shows from USA only internet sites. We also have started watching the UK Bachelor. (See video on the left.) Oh, Spencer is quite a fitty! Since we have started watching this I have decided I want to also catch up on all three seasons of Made in Chelsea. For those of you reading this back home in the States, think something along the lines of Laguna Beach or The Hills and it's very similar to that (BUT BRITISH!). I have also finally breezed through all three The Hunger Games  books. I liked them a lot because they were entertaining, but I would say that they aren't challenging or very thought provoking. If you want to take an analytical approach to the books I suppose you could view them as having a similar message to books such as "Fahrenheit 451" or "Brave New World" with their futuristic world and hopes of rebellion, etc. I must say that the books are no where near that level of intellect, but you get my point. Despite everyone telling me I would hate the last book, I actually really liked it. Of course I would say that the first book is the best, but I think the second book was my least favorite by far. Anyway,I think I will now move onto Fifty Shades of Grey once I have finished all my other reading for school. 

Megan, Christine, Kirsten and I at Lola Lo

As for the evenings, I haven't really been going out much this past week. I ate at Benets across the street from Kings which was very good if you miss the dining hall and don't want to walk all the way to Sainsbury. I also went out on Thursday to LOLA LO which was a lot of fun! The theme was "Let's Kill Disco". The club is 3 stories and tiki themed. The bottom floor is less crowded and plays decent music. The middle floor is much more crowded and had in my opinion better music. The top floor is an outdoor bar and if it hadn't been raining I think it would have been lovely. Our goal is to try to get to all the different nights at Lola Lo to see which one is the best. Finally, I went to TA BOUCHE (I always laugh because with my limited French I know this to mean "your mouth"). The atmosphere was fun and the bar tenders were friendly, but the drinks are quite expensive. If you are going to go here I would recommend going during happy hour so that they are affordable!

Happenings Around the World

• David Beckham scored two fantastic goals last night to help the Galaxy win, including a free kick and a beautiful strike from 32 M out
• Bruce Springsteen and sir Paul McCarney were cut off at their Hyde Park concert because of the noise curfew. What a bust!

Next will be a piece all about McFLY :) Also, can't wait to pick up my friend Tayla from the bus tomorrow! Going to be fun seeing another familiar face around Cambridge.

Scotland

Scotland Bound

Sorority squats in front of the Scotland sign.

It's funny how quickly you go on holiday after attending only two days of classes. On July 5th all of the PKP students (unless of course you missed the bus!) left for our trip to Scotland. I must say that this was the LONGEST bus ride I have ever been on (and since I have been on many bus rides for sports...including one that got my whole track team stranded in Fresno, I know what long bus rides are). My suggestion for a long bus ride is to bring water and something to eat. Of course we stopped at a few places along the way which made the trip more bearable, but sitting on a bus for so long can take a lot out of you. If you want to make the most of your time once in Scotland, you are going to want to keep your energy up. I sat next to a lovely guy named Neal from Idaho and we had some great talks about football and dating lives. Shout out to Neal for being an awesome bus buddy!

Richmond Castle

Richmond

On the way to Scotland, we stopped in Richmond which houses Richmond Castle. A group of us wandered around the city looking for food until the castle was deemed safe enough to open. Sadly on our way up to Scotland it rained cats and dogs, but luckily whenever we got out of the bus it was dry! We eventually wandered into town far enough to find a fish and chips take away with great prices. Once we all purchased our food, we headed into THE UNICORN to sit down and have our meal. They were kind enough to let us sit in there even if many of us were not going to purchase drinks. After lunch I made a purchase of an adorable American flag scarf that will be perfect for the Olympics (which seem so close! So excited!). Finally we stopped at the castle. It was beautifully covered with flowers on its walls. I must say that I have a soft spot for ruins. There is such a strange beauty to something that is damaged and has so much history behind it. 

Kirsten, Nick, and I at the top of the hill

The Highlands

You are allowed to go on two different excursions while in Scotland. I only chose one because I was so exhausted from the first week of being in England, but choosing to do a hike was THE BEST decision I made. HINT: These are real hikes. I don't think everyone who went on the hikes really understood that this meant you are going to sweat, it will be hard, you might get sore. Oddly enough I think people underestimated my hiking ability because I showed up in jeans and Burberry boots. FUN FACT: Although I often dress a bit posh, I was an Indian Princess (similar to Girl Scouts) and absolutely know how to hike :P 

Judge me by my size do you? I am a kick butt hiker!

Anyway, the hike was brilliant. We stopped beforehand to buy ourselves a lunch to eat half way through the hike. Thank goodness Kirsten brought her backpack so that we could put our food in it and our jackets. It was amazing how the weather went from miserable and raining to sunny and bright once we got to our hiking site. The hike was only about 3.5 miles, but we took 4 hours to do it because of the elevation and to take breaks for people to catch up. It was loads of fun! I haven't been hiking in a few years so this was great to get back into it again. My poor friend, Christine, had her shoe swallowed up by a mud sink pit! One of the other girls waded into it in order to salvage the shoe. Needless to say, that pair of shoes was thrown out immediately when we got back! One of the best parts of the hike was when we were instructed to sit for five minutes in silence to really take in the noises of the Scottish Highlands. These noises included the sheep, the insects, the harsh wind, and the distant water. The view from the top of the giant hill was breathtaking. You could see where the lowlands of Scotland met its awe-inspiring highlands. One of the guides pulled out his iPhone and played some Scottish fiddle jams. 

Edinburgh

We stayed at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh University. On the first night, Kirsten had fallen asleep and missed dinner. We went out hunting for something that was still open at 9 PM and discovered a Chinese take-out place. I must say that it did not look like very appetizing Chinese food. 

On Saturday, Kirsten and I took a break from studying to go take a walk into town. We stopped at Richmond Cafe to eat and it was wonderful. I had my first full English breakfast. We also had some tea and homemade baklava while we waited for the rain to subside. When we got into the city, we stopped by HMV to get some posters for our dorms. While there we talked with a worker about various bands including Westlife, One Direction, and McFLY. I will admit he laughed at us a bit for our liking boybands, but it's always fun to talk with people who actually know about the bands you like best. We continued our walk into the city center where we stopped by Sir Walter Scott's monument. The rain got pretty intense so we headed back towards the college after taking some pictures and purchasing our MADE IN SCOTLAND wool and cashmere scarves. 

I must admit that the evening was a bit disappointing for Kirsten and I as we weren't too keen to drink at this goth, underground bar that everyone went into. We had really wanted to go to the club Espionage but everyone else didn't want to go until later. Since Kirsten and I had no idea how to get there, we ended up headed back to the dorms without experiencing Edinburgh's nightlife. I have heard wonderful things about that club though, so if interested you should definitely check it out! Also, when Kirsten and I were attempting to find the club, we saw lots of bars that had live music and dancing. Edinburgh looks like it had some great pub crawl bars on The Royal Mile (that is a street name). 

Fountains Abbey

The stunning Fountains Abbey

On the way back to Cambridge we stopped at Fountains Abbey. This abbey was one of the richest and most renowned in England until King Henry VIII burned it down and destroyed it when he felt that they were a threat to his reign after naming himself the head of the Church of England. The abbey was huge, even with most of it ruined. It is hard to believe that it could have been much bigger and more grand! As I said before, I am a sucker for ancient ruins. Another fun fact about me though is that I am obsessed with King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

We walked around the abbey for two hours and found many interesting views with some of the PAs. One view that really interested me was past the Temple of Fame called "Anne Boleyn's Seat". As advertised in the guide to the abbey, this place had a "surprise view". The view included the whole stream leading up to the abbey as well as the abbey itself. It was worth the steep hike to find it. Aside from the beautiful abbey, there were many other stunning parts of the site including the "floating" statues in the stream. These statues resembled those from ancient Greek and Roman times. 

Glad you're back Teemu!The

Things Happening in the World

• Steve Nash is now officially a Laker. Don't know how I feel about this because I really don't like Nash at all. FACT: He looks like an old man with the body of a child. 
• Teemu Selanne is still a Duck! (At least for one more year)

Up next: another week at Cambridge and my trip to see McFLY at Tynemouth!