101 Days in London

I really was there for exactly 101 days.  Which makes me laugh for some reason.  I wrote down what I did each of those 101 days, but unfortunately I was a terrible blogger over the last few months so none of those stories made it on here.  I'm going to make a book out of my emails to go along with the two journals I wrote.  I already miss it so much but I've had a pretty great time just hanging out at home this past week.  I've seen friends, wrapped all of my presents, finished making presents, and getting ready for Christmas by putting lights up, decorating the tree and baking lots of cookies.  I've also done a lot of things that I missed when I was in London, like driving and eating Mexican food.  It does feel weird to not be taking pictures of myself having fun every day and constantly be on the go...but it's also very relieving.

Going to London was probably the best decision I've ever made.

Sunday in London

Since I've been in London my blogging has been pretty rare and even when I post something it isn't really following the three themes of my blog. I was told in my Living Prophets class a couple semesters ago about how if we picked out experiences each day that 1. made us laugh, 2. we were thankful for, 3. were a tender mercy from the Lord; our attitude about life would be so much greater. So here is today.


made me laugh...

There is a sign for "Dorking" on the way to church. And the house next to it says, " ... Butts" and it makes me laugh every time. It's so great that they're right next to each other.

My favorite part of today was sitting by Hillary in sacrament meeting. The High Councilman's talk was a little slow (but when I could focus it was really great....on tithing.) She turned to me and really quiet and serious said, "Is it okay if I tickle your back?" :) I couldn't help but laugh at her. She's too funny. She tickled my back and I think it helped both of us focus a little better. She's the best.


tender mercy...

My assignment for our group collaboration only took me like 5 minutes. I thought it would take a lot longer and it was nice to check it off of my list of things to do.

The laundry room door wasn't locked (it's Sunday so I thought it might be) and my clothes didn't get fried in the dryer tonight.


thankful for...

I'm thankful for the ward that I was assigned to here in London. I'm in the Peckham Ward and don't have any complaints! A lot of girls have to travel hours to their church meetings and have difficult callings. We leave an hour early, take the tube (which is usually pretty empty) to Elephant and Castle, and walk the rest of the way. It's been really nice weather every week and we take turns bringing cookies for the ride home. It's within our tube pass zone, so it doesn't cost me extra money either. I teach the YSA Sunday School class and they're all really great and comment a lot. Everyone is really happy and nice to us. There is one woman, Mary, who hugs me each Sunday and asks me how my week has been, which is nice too. I'm going to miss this ward when I get back to Provo.

alison esther.

I switched the name of my blog.
Eleanor Louise was the name of the goldfish that John gave me when I was 16 to ask me to Homecoming. I really loved the name and loved the fish, but it didn't even live that long and I figured it was time for a change. Plus it seemed weird posting under a name other than my own.
My blog is now Alison Esther. Because I'm Alison Esther.

pictures.

I've been loading these pictures for a week and a half now! Between crappy internet and even crappier blogger, I averaged 3 pictures a day...but I finally did it.

This is where I live.

This is my street.

This is the Royal Albert Concert Hall where we went for Proms.

This is me during Proms.

This is the Tower Bridge.
This is me walking off the Tower Bridge.
This is the Bourough Market.
This is the Thames End of Summer Festival on the bridge.
This is me later that night at the festival getting strawberries and cream for dinner.
Fireworks at the Thames.
This was my view from the bridge.

This is a bejeweled moose during London Fashion Night Out that I really loved.

Vogue Fashion Night Out with Camilia and Hillary.
This is me at the Chatsworth House on our Northern Tour. I loved all the pretty wallpaper.
This is part of the garden at Chatsworth. (My favorite place.)
This is Hadrian's Wall. It was rainy, windy and cold.
This is halfway up Arthur's Seat, where I stopped to rest.
This is the top.
This is where Harry was born.
This is the greatest hot chocolate from The Elephant House, in Edinbourgh.
Here I am writing on the bathroom wall.
This is the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
This is me on the top of the Edinbourgh Castle with Fran.
This is me sitting on a rock on my Lake District hike after Courtney found a scary snake.
This is a cute picture of Emily at .... Wordsworth's house?
This is me in the garden. It was raining a lot.
I'm standing in a lake in the rain.
I love these sheep so much.
Seriously.
The greenhouses at Kew Gardens.
The only room I liked in the Saatchi Gallery. Pretty much.

my metric system

thankful for...

I'm thankful that I was able to pay BYU for this study abroad already. It's been hovering over me since January on my financial center. And I saw it every day over the summer when I was checking to see if financial aid would ever go through. I like reading, "You have no outstanding charges at this time" when I sign in. That doesn't mean that I'm off the hook. I still owe $5,637 to people and in loans, but I'm thankful that I'm here and no one is getting after me for not paying my fee.

tender mercy...

I've had terrible luck with pens the past couple weeks. I brought 2 with me, lost one, the other ran out of ink. I went to every store and no one sold pens. Not even the books store, which I thought would be a winner. I finally went to an art supply store and bought a pen for 3 pounds. Way too much. That one broke when I used it to try and get toilet paper out of this wacky machine in our last hostel. I was still using the little tube of ink from the inside of that pen though for a while, which didn't really work. The night before last I went to Tesco and bought a 6 pack for 1 pound! And they work great! ... It's pretty important to have a pen when like 80% of your grade for the whole semester is based on your journal.

made me laugh...

Blaming everything wrong in my life on the metric system and pound conversion. This glue that I bought said "Dries Instantly," but obviously instantly means 30.48 hours in the UK. Peter said I need to spend 9 hours making art each week, but I'm interpreting that as US hours since it's 9 hours in Provo. I've been wondering why I feel so overwhelmed and I realized it's because I should only be doing 5.625 hours per week. It's a little backwards but I'm 94% sure I'm right about these numbers. I'm working on a new conversion chart now.

I've learned...

• There are Way Out signs instead of Exit signs.
• It can be 60 degrees outside and 110 in the tube.
• Road signs rarely exist.
• The White Van Man is out to kill.
• Look right first when crossing the street.
• Stand to the right on the escalators unless you're running up the stairs.
• Their coins are heavier and used more often. The 2 pound coin is my favorite thing.
• I'm either a good bargainer or a liar. Either way I saved 3 pounds on my watch.
• Nothing is cheap in Notting Hill. Whether the sign says Sale or not.
• Cheese is a big deal. It's all over the place.
• No one talks on the tube. I literally saw people playing charades the other day instead of just whispering to each other.
• There is no such thing as too much PDA in Europe. I have seen many hands up shirts.
• If you don't go through the self check out at the grocery store as speedy as possible the attendant will walk over and hover over your shoulder to make you nervous and speed you up.
  
• Everyone here loves animals because they are hardly seen. Stray cats always have crowds of people around them.
• Cookies aren't good here. The best ones are called Digestives. Which says a lot.
• Nothing is open past 11, which isn't normal for a big city. Come on London.
• Being in an elevator at the tube station with 30 other people is my least favorite thing.
• The candy bar wrappers don't give you a little summary under the name of what's in there. It's always a surprise.

First Day in Europe

thankful for...

I'm thankful for the cute old man that took me to my connecting flight terminal in Houston. He was headed to Guatemala and made sure that I was in the right spot before he went to get lunch.

tender mercy...

Xanax. I had the most relaxing, peaceful flight because of Xanax. I took two and was out like a light for my first flight. On my second flight I just stared at the movie screen. I watched Lincoln Lawyer and Backup Plan and some 30 Rock, while drinking Ginger Ale. I was even brave enough to unhook my seat belt to go to the bathroom.

When we got to the Centre I was super hot and sweaty from lugging my suitcase around. The London airport was a nightmare. I got off. Found a couple other girls. Got my suitcase. Easy peasy. Then didn't know how to get to the center. I got 50 pounds out of the atm (which is $82), when I only needed 10 pounds. I went to buy my Oyster card and couldn't tell them why I needed it or where I was going. 2 employees were trying to help me and finally another student just told them what I needed. Then I basically ran through the gate. It didn't open. I hadn't swiped the card I had just made a big deal to buy. I know the girls thought I was an idiot. Then there weren't elevators, so I had to carry my 50 lb suitcase, my 40 lb carry on and my 20 lb backpack up 2 flights of stairs. It wasn't fun.

We got to the Centre and unpacked. Then went on a 4 mile walk through lots of parks, to Buckingham Palace, and to see Big Ben. Then rode a double decker bus home. The red ones. I rode on the top.