Oxford Trip

Two of my friends and I decided to take a spontaneous day trip to Oxford.  It was an early start, and when we got to the tube station, one of my friends realized she did not have her ticket, so we had to wait for her to run all the way back to the flat to get it, but the buses to Oxford run so often that it was not a big deal at all. We then made it to the bus at 8:40 and I pretty much slept the entire way to Oxford, which took an hour and 40 minutes. Once we got off the bus, we went through the town and found the cutest Java and Coffee Company where I got a nutella hot chocolate which was actually amazing and probably just made with hot milk and nutella, a recipe I will be repeatingJ From there we went on a tour of the city, which is mainly built up around the college. I did not know that there are 28 different colleges that make up Oxford College. It is an extremely elite school, in which Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, and many people of great power attended. There is also a part of the college where only "fellows" can go, it is basically for older men, who finished "uni" and graduate school, and most likely have their PhD or Doctorate or have done many dissertations, and other crazy stuff like that, who want to spend the rest of their life researching, they get paid to do it, very well, and they can travel and really do anything and the college will fund it. It is one of the most elite groups and nearly impossible to get accepted there.  After the tour, we decided to grab lunch at a cute little pub where I got a local beer and a very delicious Panini. From there, we shopped around a bit, but it was pretty rainy and chilly so we kept trying to find places we could go inside. We did get lost walking through one of the campuses and it was very beautiful, with lots of stone and architecture that made it feel like a fortress. All of the colleges were built like that, I did get a Hogwarts feel, but also a big feeling of not belonging. I felt like the voices from Princess Diaries were going to yell at me to get off the grass, but say "get out of Oxford you peasant." After walking around a lot we ended up getting drinks at a pub that was a hole in the wall, but very cool inside. What was supposed to be a few drinks, led to us staying in Oxford until much later then we planned….but we eventually made our way to the bus and got home safely, it was a very fun day in Oxford and I am glad we planned that last minute trip!    

Been a while...

          Sorry everyone, I'm definitely still alive!! I have been crazy busy this past week running around London and such (no, not with school, there is no such thing as homework here). It's weird actually, all my grades depend on either 2 exams, or 1 project and 1 exam, either way, they expect you to do outside work on your own and there is never any homework or "busy" work. This past friday I went to Borough Market and got my most favorite foods to date: a homemade chicken burger with salsa, sweet chili, and cilantro....AND an almond honey bar with a custard middle and a cake bottom:) my stomach was super happy (check out my Instagram wandering_worlds for pictures!). 

          Saturday I went with my program to Canterbury and Dover for the day. In Canterbury we visited the chapel, which was stunning as usual, and form there had free time to roam the city. My friends and I finally tried our first English Cornish pasty and they were actually quite delicious, it is like a calzone shape filled with meats and potatoes. After having the pasty's (weird name, I know) we walked around the town and I finally made a first real purchase here, none of that Primark stuff, and bought a nice pair of flats. They are a bit hipster of me, but I am excited to start wearing them. From Canterbury, we made our way to Dover and started right away at the White Cliffs of Dover (which are white due to the chalky ground under them, like stonehenge mom). It was a lovely sight, but a very cloudy, windy, and cold day so I was not wanting to enjoy being up there for too long. We then went to the underground caves within the cliffs where people worked and stayed during WWII. It was an amazing thing to see how people created these vast tunnels, three different floors, with living quarters, showers, lights, and technology centers. I was really impressed by how well they were able to conceal themselves within the cliffs and keep safe from the bombings that the Germans continuously dropped on them during the war. (Fun fact: if you see some more modern houses in London in a street with a lot of historical houses, it could be because those houses were once hit by bombs during the war and remade during a more modern time, so says the old man who told me this story...). From the tunnels, we did not have enough time to see the inside of the castle, which I was quite bummed about, but I was exhausted so I happily welcomed our 2 hour drive back to London with a much needed nap.

          Sunday, as God put it, was a day of rest. I do not think I moved from my bed, until a few of us decided to walk to Portobello market where I got freshly squeezed Apple and Ginger juice (besides feeling super healthy, it was delicious so now I really want a juicer for when I come home...cough, cough mom). I enjoyed the market, filled with trinkets and toys, old leather rugby balls, cricket sets, vintage books, and some very interesting jewelry. Being only a few blocks from the market is definitely something I am very lucky for.

          So now, I finished my classes for the week (yes, its only Tuesday and I know you're all jealous) and I have no classes next week, its called "Independent Student Learning Week." AKA they expect us to catch up on all our work from the first half of the semester....but my roommates and I decided to book a trip to Brussels and Amsterdam instead, oops:) And this weekend a few of us decided to book a day trip to Oxford as well. I am looking forward to more future travels, not only in Europe, but also within the beautifully country I currently call home.

Now you lucky readers are caught up on the life of Maddie:) 

Bitter Sweet

I am spending my last night with my mom, after being able to spend a week with her. We had so much fun going to Dublin, spending her 50th birthday in Stonehenge and Bath and just being able to explore the cityI have called my home the past month. We found a bunch of new restaurants (one we even visited twice, and had amazing meals both times...thanks Grandy for the suggesstion and The Last Running Footman!!)  It has been a very crazy and fun week and I know I will get hit hard bythat homesickness when she leaves and I sit down for the first time in what feels like forever. My feet are tired but my heart is happy that I was lucky enough to spend a week with my mom, and I will be so sad to see her go. Looking back on the past week I have learned quite a few new fun facts for yah:

Dublin- first founded by vikings and named Dubh Linn (meaning black pools) becuase it was surrounded by two water ways, the Liffe and the Poddle Rivers. If you want to hear real Irish music and Irish dancing, go to the country cause you wont find the good stuff in the city (think of a foreigner coming to NYC wanting to see lots of country stuff...) While we were there, something called Tradfest was occurring, which was cool to see a festival there, but I feel like they just made it up because they are too excited for St.Patricks day and wanted to get the ball rolling early.

Stonehenge- the only circular rock formation with horizontal stones on top. It has a 300 foot radius (if I remember correctly). Dates back to wayyyyy earlier then I would have expected. Built on top of land that had lots of chalk underneath, making it soft, also the reason why you can't actualy walk up to the stones because the ground is too fragile. The mounds of land surrounding the area? Thats actually old graveyards, so lots of bodies are underneath them. Also it is surrounded by farms so there are sheep roaming everywhere!

Bath- only hot water from the grounf in England, so when it was first discovered,people were scared of it. Later, Romans turned it into the Bath House to entice the English and let them come and use them and see how the Romans lived and to try an convert them to a Roman way of life. The water is stillthere, and still hot, but super dirty and murky, so no bath for me there...

All in all it was an amazing week, one that ended way to quickly, but I am still very thankful for the time I got to spend with her:) 

Today is a good day

I am sitting here writing this as I wait for my mom to get the the flat she is staying in for the week! I am so excited to see her as a bit of homesickness has been hitting me lately, but I have been so out of a routine lately I have not had much time to just sit down and wallow about it which has helped a lot. These past couple days after Prague have been very relaxing and much needed time to just do a bit of nothing. By nothing I mean still going to all my classes (don't worry I still know why I came here). Also a few of us went to trivia night last night at a Pub we found and it was the best! We had 4 rounds of actual questions of History, Geography, Music, and Random, but then we also had a round of bubble blowing, airplane throwing, and kazookeoke (playing kazoo while you dance, and no I did not partake in that one, sorry we made you do it Anna). But overall we had a really good time and will absolutely be returning (and to maybe do better then 12 out of 15 next time...). But now I am just waiting here extremely impatiently to go see my mom. This week we are celebrating her 50th birthday along with going to Dublin and Stonehenge while she is here! I cannot wait to show her around. Until next time...

Praha, Prague, Praga, Praga

All of these are names you can call this incredible city in Czech. 

After getting off the plane at 12 am, we quickly got to baggage check where we found our transportation waiting for us. We got into the bus and were shuttle to our hostel ELF by 1 am. We got checked in(the place was very weird and Mexican themed) and we all got a private room to share which was very nice. This being our first hostel ever was quite the experience seeing the lack of amenities, but I am also sure it will probably be one of the nicer ones I stay in! So we all set our alarms and got up at 9 because we had previously scheduled a walking tour. After eating breakfast at the hostel (toast and jam and these weird meats) we walked to the meeting point for our tour. Our tour guides name was Martina, she took us everywhere in Prague! From Old square, to new Square, the the Jewish Quarter. We got the see the astronomical clock have it's changing of the hour where it's figures danced and the rooster crowed on top (but it was so old, it did not actually sound like that). After our tour we were pointed to a delicious lunch place where I got my first beef goulash which was so amazing! It came with bread dumplings to dip in it which were also very yummy. After lunch we decided to go on another tour with Martina to the Prague castle and John Lennon wall. It was a very long and very cold tour, but we saw a lot of buildings in the Prague Castle (the largest castle grounds in the world). It was like a village in there! We got to go up one of the towers, see changing of the guards, the chapel including its inside, and even see the 3rd smallest house in Europe in the castle grounds. After seeing all we could in there, we went to the John Lennon wall where Martina gave us spray paint for it:) it was once painted over in white saying “the wall is over” and the painting over everything was actually considered vandalism! I spray painted M&M(for mike and I) and Mom into the wall (because she deserved to have her name on it for getting me here). After the wall we stopped at Charles Bridge, which was amazing at night but we are definitely going to try and go during the day too. From there the tour was over and we decided to go out to dinner with a couple from London and Australia (boy from London, Girl from Australia) that we met from the tour. I got chicken with honey and creamy potatoes which were also so good! The restaurant was also a micro brewery so I tried their light beer, 1466, which definitely reminded me of the average American light beer. After dinner we walked through the town and got these dough balls called Trdelnik, that looked like bee hives and were covered in cinnamon, sugar, and almonds. It was amazing. I have eaten so well here since I've been here, partly because I have to eat out for every meal. We the. Returned to our hostel where they were serving hot mulled wine, which I don't think I like all too much. Hot wine is a weird concept. But I'm glad I tried it. Now I am settling in after day two, which I got to climb the Petrin Tower and see literally all of Prague in a light snowfall from the highest point in Czech (absolutely breathtaking) eat at a delicious cafe called Cafe Colore and see some more of the wonderful streets of Prague. Tomorrow is my last day here and I am already sad to think about leaving this amazing place, but I am so satisfied that I got to see every part of it along the way. Thank you Prague, you are incredible. 

Off to Prague!

 I am currently writing this while in the air to Prague, but I won't post it until later so I'll already be there by the time you read this:) I am with my roommates on the plane, after taking 2 tubes and a 2 hour bus ride we made it safely on the plane. The airport was actually quite nice with lots of restaurants and shops. It was weird, they have you all sit in one big area with all the food and shops and announce and post on a big electronic board where your plane is boarding, and then you walk to whatever gate it tells you, then you get right on the plane. My best investment yet was my 3 day hiking bag. It was perfect for everything I needed this weekend and getting it on the plane. The tickets to Prague were cheap but these airlines will charge you £55 (that's pounds) if you have too big of a bag! But now we are safely in the air on our way to this amazing place and I am very excited to see what awaits us these next couple days. Until then fellow readers….(don't worry mom, dad, and mike you all will be receiving texts when I land!!) 

Decision decisions...

I started the day by not wanting to go to class, but I went anyway. On the way there, the tube I was on terminated at the stop before mine so I had to get off early at edgeware road. But I didn't let that deter me from getting to class. I got off there and found my own way to Baker Street and To class. I was proud of myself for also still being early to class. As I'm sitting there, another professor came in and said my professor cancelled class due to him also getting stuck in the tube because there were signal failures at two big stations so Circle, Hammersmith, District, and Metropolitan lines were either delayed or shut down for the time. So now I was getting annoyed but I left and went on my way home. I got on a circle line and it was heading home but again it terminated at the same damn station, edgeware road (I was beginning to hate that place) from there I had to get on two different tubes (district to noting hill, then central to holland park) and from there I walked home. So in all I was out the same amount of time I would have been had I gone to class. Moral of the story, when in doubt, don't go to class.

High Tea Time

Bright and early at 7:45 am we had to go into center London to meet the ISA group (the program through which I am studying abroad) at Waterloo station (right by the London eye) to take a day trip to Windsor. We were dragging a bit, working on only 3 hours of sleep from being out late the night before. I took a nice nap on the way there, as it was an hour away, and I woke up to lots of green fields, beautiful houses, and a nice sunny day. It was a nice change from the city. The main entrance to the Windsor Castle is 3 miles long, and it is the way Queen Elizabeth enters, as it is her favorite castle and I can completely understand why. Windsor Castle is one of the oldest habited castles, and it has never been under attack. It was a lot larger then I had thought possible, with lots of different towers, and it had lovely gardens, and so many tombs of past nobles and kings and queens and priests. We went inside the chapel, which was done with such amazing detail, the ceiling was made with intricate symbols all over it, each one having a specific purpose. There was another room in the chapel with all of the “noble houses” and their banner and emblems above their own pews, think House Baratheon in Game of Thrones but a lot less crazy and blood thirsty people, and if that house member died, then their banner (with their house emblem) would be taken down. We then went into a room which had a model of the castle showing the King and Queen’s separate bedrooms, even their closets, the kitchen, where they keep the jewels, the sitting rooms, and all the maids rooms. After touring the grounds for a while we made our way to the Windsor Hotel where we were served our very first High Tea, or Afternoon Tea. I had English Breakfast Tea, salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, egg and mayo and cheese sandwiches, small cakes and a mini apple pie, and to top it all off I had a scone with clotted cream and jam. You won't be able to go back to regular scones after having English ones with clotted cream. It was all so delicious and I wish I could have tea every single day. After tea, our group explored the town of Windsor, which was very lovely and had lots of cute stores and bookshops on these winding cobble streets. After heading back to London a group of us decided to walk around the Big Ben and go see the London Eye, which was amazing to see lit up at night, I wish my pictures could do any of it real justice. I am now back in my bed, after having an awesome day, and can’t wait to catch up on my much-needed sleep. 

"What is life without a little risk." -JK Rowling

HARRY POTTER STUDIO TOUR! I think I may or may not have jumped out of bed, even at 7 am, because I was going to the Warner Brothers Studios where they filmed a lot of the Harry Potter Movies! The tour was called, "Harry Potter in the making." When we arrived, the studios were actually letters J and K (ironically the authors name), we started in studio J. From there we were sent into a studio room where we watched how JK Rowlings books were found and a producer picked it up (David Heyman) and started making the movies. After, the tour guide moved us to the Great Hall (like the actual and legitimate Great Hall where the students ate their meals in the movies, and it was still set up with two of the tables and the professors (well mannequins with their robes on them, at the front all setup like in the movies). It was so amazing to see everything and how it was really made. From there we walked through a bunch of rooms containing all the costumes, props, sets, broom sticks, scenes, and even down to the actual quills used in the movies. (If you want to, on the Page labeled Harry Potter, you can see all the pictures from my tour!) It was so amazing and I have over 150 pictures to show for it. We also got to see the Knight bus, 4 Private Drive, the motor bike, the flying car, the Burrow, classrooms, dormitory rooms, and so much more. I was definitely in my happy place thereJ I also finally got to try Butterbeer which I actually really love (its cream soda with a butterscotch whip cream). After trying Butterbeer, we moved into set K and went through the creature shop, where all the goblins and animals were made. In fact the first time Dumbledore say his phoenix for the movie, he through it was real. Buckbeak looked so amazing real to me, and it must have taken them so long to create his look with individual feathers. I also learned that Hagrid, in real life, was played by a man that was only 6' 3", so for some of the scenes he was on stilts, but the the scenes where he was moving a lot, it was played by and English rugby player who had a head made to look exactly like Hagrid's mounted on top of him. I got to walk through Diagon Alley, which was much smaller then I had expected. We also saw the model of Hogwarts (so whenever in the movies they filmed the outside of the school, this is what they were filming). It was absolutely breathtaking, from every last little detail in the castle, to the bridge outside of it, even the trees and bushes outside were so amazingly done. That was my favorite room by far. We ended the tour in the wand room, not the real one, but they had to put the 17,000 boxes of wands for the movie somewhere. Each box had names of all the people who helped create the movies hand written on each of them. It was an amazing tour that I would recommend to anyone when they visit London. We then spent a great amount of time in the gift shop at the end….. It was a wonderful experience!

Lay of the Land

Sorry world! (jk sorry to my like two readers out there...) I have been so crazy because today was the first day of classes! I can't believe how fast the time is going while ere, it's already been a week! Today for class I had a finance class that lasted 3 hours, and my one professor was Russian and British while the other was Indina, French, and British...try and picture those accents in your head. I was pleasantly surprised that I knew most of the material (thank god because i'm a junior Finance major) so I am not sweating that class too much...yet. My next class did make me sweat, literally. It was Yoga class and as soon as the professor came in, we got right on our mats and got to work. I was in pain by the end of class and she said that was just the beginning, but I am actually very excited to learn not only more poses but the actual practice behind yoga...stay tuned on that one folks. But last night, to kick off classes, two of my friends and I went to a random pub in a borough we have never been before to watch the Packers vs. Cowboys, and we ended up in an upstairs area filled with Americans, and I even ran into a friend from home who is also studying abroad, what a small world! I know it sounds bad to be doing so much American stuff when I should be emerging myself in the culture, but believe me that was a much needed break, don't worry though I still ordered a pint and some chips (beer and fries) to even my life out a little.

This has pretty much been my life the past couple days, even though they speak English, they are still very difficult to understand! 

Getting into the Norm

I can officially say I have overcome and jet lag or random tiredness now. I can also say my new favorite candy is Happy Hippos (thanks to my roommate Tessa) and Sherlock is a great Netflix show to watch (also thanks to my roommate Tessa). I have been having such a great time here, my flat is really great (not the part where we don’t have a shower curtain or dryer) but aside from that I got really lucky. The flat is in such a nice residential neighborhood, so it is very peaceful and serene. There is even a private garden only our neighborhood can access by a key so Tessa and I walked through that today. I have discovered that people here grocery shop a little everyday, that is because their food is made without the chemicals we put in ours, so it is very fresh but does not last as long. I have already made a few grocery shops already.  Two days ago we were given a double decker bus tour of London where we drove by the Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, got to stop at Buckingham Palace, went through Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, and ended in central London. From there we were on our own to master the Tube and get back to our flats. We stayed out and went to eat at a Mexican Restaurant called Benito’s Hat (because you should eat Mexican while in the UK I guess) and then walked through Oxford Street until we found a nice pub to get cider at. Yesterday I finally had my school orientation, and it was a very long 2 hours, where they spent a surprising amount of time acting as if we did not know what plagiarism was and how to make sure we don’t do it. But afterwards a bunch of us (who all happened to live in the same place) went to the Hummingbird Café and got cupcakes and decided to explore some more. We went to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge (which almost everyone calls London Bridge, you’re actually very wrong), then we stopped at Globe Theater, and walked over the Millennium Bridge and ended at a very delicious candy store that reminded me of Willy Wonka and the lady let me try a Bonbon (similar to a milk dud). I have greatly enjoyed my little time here so far and am very excited to see what is in store for the rest of my stay.

Just touched down in London town...literally

I am writing this from my room in my flat which I share with an awesome roommate, we share the flat (think of a one floor apartment..but a lot smaller) with 2 other girls. We each share one bathroom, and the water heater is so old, it says to not have a shower last more then 10 minutes and to wait 30 minutes in between each persons shoer, should be quite interesting. But overall the flat is awesome, with a fully stocked kitchen and a cute little table and chairs and small couch. The only problem is that it is really old so the heater is through those wall heaters, the ones you were afraid to touch as a kid, there is no tv, and some of the floor boards are missing but aside from all that it really couldn't be better! I left last night at midnight after having my flight be delayed for 2 hours and landed this morning in London at 11:45 am London time with maybe a total of 2 hours of sleep that night. But I got to watch "This is Where I Leave You," (thanks for the suggestion Lexi) and got served dinner on the plane at 4 am....most of which I refused to eat. When the plane landed, it was going through a bunch of clouds, but when it actually broke through the clouds where I thought I would be able to see England, the plane was just 20 feet off the ground! That was a bit crazy. So once I landed at 11:45, I had until 1 pm to go through customs, get my luggage (which was a lot), and get to another terminal in order to make the shuttle to my apartment. Someone from the same trip as me who happened to be on my flight to London found me in the process and her and I ran through the airport, sweating, exhausted, and having such a hard time with all of our luggage. We made it to the shuttle at exactly 1 pm.....we got so lucky. There I got to meet 2 of my roommates, along with other students on the same trip from all of the US, and got to see a little bit of London from the bus. We then threw our stuff in our each of our flats and went on a walk around Kensington to see where we were living. It is such a quaint (Michael that means cute) town with little shops, my new grocery store called Tesco, and lots of street vendors. We got some groceries and made our way back to the flat where I finally met my last roommate and we all unpacked for a little bit (710 I have our picture of us up already) got to know each other, and then decided to go out and get some dinner the 4 of us. We went to a local takeout place, which we could walk to, and I wasn't ready to have the cod just yet, so I settled for a chicken sandwich and chips (fries), which was my first meal since barely being able to eat the plane food, I had;t even noticed due to running around all day. All four of us sat around our kitchen table and had a really good time. So far, I think I am going to really like it here. I have officially been up for 2 straight days and am forcing myself to sleep, we are going on a double decker bus tour tomorrow which should be a lot of fun! Goodnight to all (even though its just late afternoon to all my friends and family at home) and I can't wait to tell you more soon:)

This is weird...

It is weird that I am still writing while in America, it is weird that I had to say America, because I won't be here in about 2 1/2 weeks. It is weird that I won't be near anyone I know, and it is especially weird that I am going to be in another country for 4 1/2 months. I am so excited and so nervous that I don't know which is the emotion actually making my stomach tighten up everytime I think about next semester. I will be studying at the University of Westminster in London, England and I have plans to travel to so many other places, I don't want to name them in fear of disappointment if I don't get there. BUT Christmas is in 8 days, I have so much to do, so much to prepare, and time is moving too fast for my liking. I am not ready to say goodbye to my family and Michael (he is my boyfriend, will probably be referenced a lot fyi) and my friends (710 I miss you already), I am not ready to be so raw away from them for so long. But I know this is something I have wanted to do for a VERY long time, and if I did not go, I would definitely regret it.

So the weirdest part is that I am not a writer, I will probably spell a lot wrong or just ramble about nothing, but I figured this was the best (and most cliche) way to keep everyone in touch with whats going on and to inform my mom constantly that I am still alive:) Please feel free to leave comments and reach out to me, but starting January 2nd, make sure its only on here, Facebook, or other forms of social media as I am not sure what I will be doing about a phone yet....