Thanksgiving Thoughts

Okay, I know I said I would post about the rest of my Paris trip this week but I've been busy. I promise I will get that done this weekend (that's a lie because Liz will be here. I'M SORRY I AM TRYING). 

I thought that I would take a moment to express what I am thankful for, even though I am unable to celebrate Thanksgiving. 

The basic list:

• Bill Sheasgreen (and the entire ICLC staff)
• Gluten free digestives
• Cadbury
• Edible gluten free bread
• Skype/Google Hangouts
• Netflix

Those are the things I am thankful for, not only on a daily basis, but especially today as they are helping me cope with the distinct lack of turkey and sweet potato pie in my tummy. 

On a more serious note, I have a lot to be thankful for, this year more than most.

I am incredibly thankful for this study abroad opportunity. I knew that I was going to learn a lot about a different culture and go new places but I did not anticipate learning so much about life and myself in a short few months. I've learned so much about who I am and what I can do. Finding somewhere to live and adjusting to life on a new continent all on my own has made me much more confident in my life skills. I've learned how to make new friends, which doesn't seem like a huge deal but I've never really had the experience of going to a new place and not knowing a single person. Even when I moved to Ithaca I had Liz so there was one person that I could always talk to (or steal food from those few times). 

I've learned that there are some people in the world that are truly terrible and most of the time you just have to suck it up and deal with them, but also that sometimes it is okay to be blunt and stand up for yourself. Most importantly I've learned that you don't have to be be friends with everyone. It's exhausting trying to be nice to someone when they can't even provide basic respect--- you don't have to be nice to everyone, as long as you aren't being mean it's all good. 

I've learned that I hate living in a messy apartment (you win, Mom and Dad). I love coming home to a clean house. Dishes in the sink, cups on the counter, and things laying around where they don't belong make me angrier than the Hulk. A clean house is a happy (and not smelly) house. 

I've learned to appreciate my friends and family more. I never experienced homesickness before coming here, and it stinks. There is literally an ocean between me and my loved ones which makes me appreciate the little things and daily interactions so much more. My friends in Ithaca make an effort to keep me up to date with all of the excitement (or lack thereof) at school, my family chats with me so that I don't feel left out even though I am missing so much. And despite being quite literally on the opposite side of the world, Rachel has managed to torture--I mean, entertain me, all the way from New Zealand. 

I have some pretty amazing people in my life and I cannot wait to see them all when I get home. 

Finally, I am most grateful for the opportunity to be able to HANG OUT WITH MY SISTER HERE IN LONDON. That's right, Duchess Kate and Queen Elizabeth are taking over London for a few days. Brace yourself, England. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. 

xoxo,

Kaity

Paris Hold the Key to Your Heart: Day One

The movies aren't lying: Paris is awesome. 

Let's be honest- yes, the Metro is dirty- yes, it smells like pee and feet, but once you get past that its pretty freaking magical. 

My favorite book, movie, doll, and cassette tapes were about Madeline. My favorite Disney (and one non-Disney but equally as awesome) movies were at least partially set in Paris (The Aristocats, Anastasia, etc., etc.). Come on---How could it not be my life's goal to visit Paris at least once?

Well, seven year old Kaity would be very happy because not only did I go to Paris last weekend but it was better than I ever could have imagined. 

Day One:  Notre Dame and The Louvre 

Our train to Paris left at the crack of dawn on Friday morning- and yes, I do mean the crack of dawn. My alarm went off at 4am... I wanted to die but I was also obviously extremely excited. We were (surprisingly) successfully out of the flat by 5am and on time to the train station. 

Some of us came highly prepared for the journey... (well done, Mary. You rock that neck pillow girl). 

I was far too excited to sleep so I spent the two hours listening to the soundtracks from Phantom, Les Mis, and Anastasia. 

Once we arrived in Paris we quickly dropped our stuff off at the hostel and then went on a glorious walk led by none other than Bill Sheasgreen. It was pouring rain the entire time, but it was still amazing. On his walk we went to that bridge with all of the locks on it, Notre Dame, and we stopped outside of the Louvre. 

The candle I lit in Notre Dame

Bill in action

**I'm only putting up a few pictures here, there are a ton more on my Facebook page if you are interested!**

Notre Dame was amazing. It's magnificence cannot be captured in a few photos. Everything about it was fantastic, even though the gargoyles did not start singing to me. 

After the walk was over my friends and I decided to have a little down time in the hostel before dinner and the trip to the Louvre. The hostel was pretty awesome, our beds had curtains so it was like being in your own little cave. 

After a quick rest we went to the Louvre to explore. OBVIOUSLY the first thing I did was head straight for the Mona Lisa. Let me set the record straight here, it is small, but not nearly as small as I was anticipating. Some of the pictures make her look tiny but really that's just because the railing is so far back from the wall. Once we found her I couldn't pass up taking the ultimate selfie...

And once we got that out the way we explored (got lost) in other parts of the Louvre. 

After walking around for hours and feeling like we were all going to collapse we decided to go back to the hostel to hang out until we fell asleep. The hostel was having a huge party that night but we just stayed in our room eating snacks and singing along to the music that was blasting downstairs (and also creeping on our friends who we could see across the courtyard.).

Day Two is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I'm tired and I need snacks. 

xoxo, 

Kaity

RIP October

While the best month of the year (don't even try to say it's not true) is over, I am more than ready to say hello to November!

So many good things are happening in November this year! As of today there are.... 6 days until my Paris trip, 21 days until Liz gets here, 25 days until I go to Marrakesh, and 56 days until I fly home!!!! So many amazing things are happening so soon! 

The past few weeks have also been exciting (and busy)! Halloween was last week and it was pretty fun! I FINALLY got to go to Chipotle, which was AMAZING. Especially because they had a special where if you came in costume you could get a two pound 'boorito'. So I threw on some cat ears and whiskers and got really cheap Chipotle. After getting this delicious food, a bunch of friends and I went to a party at our friends' flat. We watched Halloweentown (YAAAAAAAAAS!) and hung out for a few hours. 

This past Wednesday was cool because I got to celebrate a holiday that we do not have in the United States, Guy Fawkes' Day, aka Bonfire Night, aka The Fifth of November. 

Remember! Remember! The Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and plot!

I know of no reason The Gunpowder Treason

should ever be forgot!

If you have seen V for Vendetta you probably know what I am talking about. Basically Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament while EVERY important person (including the King) was inside because they were Protestant and he was Catholic. They caught him at the last minute and foiled his plans. He and his co-conspirators were executed for treason. At first it was celebrated as an anti-Catholic festival but now the meaning is gone. 

Unfortunately, the school decided to schedule one of our DLT performances on the evening of the fifth so I MISSED EVERYTHING. I was pretty upset, but there were people protesting anyway so it was probably a good thing. 

Yesterday was also exciting as we got to go see a debate on Doctor-assisted suicide at the House of Lords. We only stayed for an hour (because it pretty much went on all day) but what we saw was pretty cool! It was interesting to see not only the differences in opinions about this between the UK and US but the differences between the House of Lords and House of Commons. The Lords are so much more respectful and...quiet. PMQ gets especially rowdy in the Commons so it was nice to see a different side of the government. 

I am super busy writing papers and studying for quizzes, and finals (ah, so soon?) but I've only got 5 weeks left of classes and then the real fun begins! 

xoxo, 

Kaity

The Roaring 20's

So yesterday marked the end of one era and the beginning of a new one... My birthday!!! 

Yesterday was my 20th birthday! Goodbye teenage years, hello adulthood. Wait, that's scary. 

Despite being in a foreign country without any of my closest friends or family members I had a good day. I was able to call and talk to some of my family and friends which made my day special. My new friends here also made my day special!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making my day better yesterday. Even if it was just a Facebook post or snapchat I appreciated it very much. 

xoxo, 

Kaity

Catching up: Fall Break and other random things

Okay, I'm sorry. I know I am way behind...but it has been a really busy couple of weeks!!!

So first things first... Fall break. 

Fall break was amazing. I spent the first few days relaxing and catching up on some stuff that I've been meaning to get done. The best part of the week was visiting my friend Kayleigh up in Blackpool! I took a bus up on Tuesday morning and came back late Friday night (and barely made the last tube!). 

We got the chance to catch up on everything that's happened since camp, which was really fun. Blackpool is pretty much the coolest place ever. It's basically Weirs Beach meets The Sandwich Fair meets the carnival in the Notebook but about ten thousand times cooler!!! I loved walking down the pier and along the beach in the evening so I could see the illuminations! The second day we went to Manchester and went shopping, ate, and walked around for a bit. Friday was the most exciting day as we made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! They came out VERY strong but also delicious. 

One of the most exciting parts of our time was our morning routine: Wake up, eat, drink tea, and watch Say Yes to the Dress for several hours. Milo, Kayleigh's dog, was more than content with this situation (except for when he decided to be a brat). 

The final weekend of Fall Break I pretty much did nothing, I slept. I ate. That was it. 

Last week we went to see another show for DLT. I wasn't really excited for it because it was about minorities and those stories usually make me really sad... but it was amazing. We saw East is East which is a comedy. It did a really good job of blending comedy with the serious messages about clashing cultures and the difficulties that come along with that. 

Other than that I've just been doing a lot of work. I've had papers, and trips, and quizzes galore! I did get my midterm grades though and I must say... I did better than I thought which is always exciting! 

That's pretty much it, nothing else exciting has really happened recently. 

xoxo, 

Kaity

Beatles Walking Tour, Sheasgreen Selfie Quest, and Midterms

So, it's been a while... Sorry about that! There have been lots of things going on over the past few weeks. 

The day after we returned from out Stratford trip Bill took us on a Beatles- themed walking tour. We walked all around London to some locations that were associated with the Beatles. A few of the places were spots where famous photos were taken, so obviously we tried to re-create them... 

Our last stop on the tour was Abbey Road. Unfortunately I do not have the most obvious Beatles photo-op to share in a digital format. Believe it or not, it is actually a very busy road; crossing it in general is a challenge let alone stopping for a picture. While others in my class were attempting to cross the road I stopped to sign the Abbey Road wall. 

After about 20 minutes of waiting to cross the road I just gave up and ran across hoping that I would have time in the future to come back and take a picture (Eh, Liz Schwartzer?). Luckily for me, Bill took a (slightly stalker-ish) photo of me running along the crosswalk... So there you go, I can check getting a picture of me crossing Abbey Road off of my bucket list (even though it is a terrible picture). 

As anyone who has ever attended ICLC knows... Bill Sheasgreen is pretty much the coolest person on the planet. I have been hearing about him since my sister went to London. Every person I know who went to ICLC talks about how freaking awesome he is... So naturally I decided that I want to have a lovely collage of our time together... And thus, the Sheasgreen Selfie Quest was born. I vowed that on every trip, or chance I get, I would take a selfie with Bill even if he wasn't paying attention. So far I have only had one chance, and this is the glorious outcome. 

Midterms week was rather stressful, but it also had its fun moments. The best part of the week was going to see my first West End show with my theatre class. We say The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime and it was AMAZING. Holy cow, everything about it was so good. The acting was phenomenal but the technical aspects of the show were what really wowed everyone. It is impossible to explain but basically it was super cool and engaging. 

After midterms were over I finally had a break! Fall break started last Wednesday and ends today (boo). While I really enjoyed my time off I am really looking forward to getting back to having a set schedule (and my birthday which is in a week!). 

I will post about the exciting time I had in the North within the next few days!

xoxo, 

Kaity 

Bonus Post: Birthday Excitement

I know I've already made a post today, but this one deserved special attention....

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest people to have ever graced the Earth with his presence, my father, Gary Schwartzer. 

Anyone who knows him loves him.

He is a classic example of a goofy father; he's got dad jokes and snacks more than covered. 

But most of all he is the kindest person I have ever met and I love him to pieces. 

Happy Birthday Dad! I miss you so much and I cannot wait to see you in January. 

Warwick Castle, Stratford Upon Avon, and Oxford.

Last weekend ICLC took a fantastic trip to Warwick Castle, Stratford Upon Avon, and Oxford. Warwick was beautiful. It is a full on castle. It was like being transported back in time. Also, my friends and I were almost murdered by a peacock. 

Stratford upon Avon was probably my favorite place that we have visited so far. Not only is it an adorable little town but it is filled with so much history (and obviously Shakespeare stuff). It was also super fun because it gave me the chance to hang out with people who I hadn't seen since the first weeks and I was able to make new friends. 

One of the greatest parts of the weekend was when we saw the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Love's Labour's Lost. Everything about it was amazing and it is my favorite show so far this semester. 

Stratford was also really great for food and markets! We went to a wonderful Thai restaurant that was called (I'm not even joking) The Giggling Squid. It was possibly the most delicious food I have ever had and almost everything on the menu was gluten free! The market in Stratford was also so much fun. I found perfect Christmas presents for a few people and also some delicious snacks. 

Oxford was pretty cool. We only had a few hours so we didn't get to see much of it but the few places we did see were pretty cool. 

Sorry that is has been taking a while to post some updates (and that they are obviously written quickly). It's the week before midterms so everything is crazy! After the week is over I will have plenty of time to write about everything! 

xoxo, 

Kaity 

Tea Time, Friendship, and the Hatred of a Candlestick

It all started last Tuesday when my Art and Architecture teacher kindly reminded us that we had a paper due the following week. We were to pick a single item off a list of pieces of art at the Victoria and Albert Museum and write 6 pages about it. The trouble is, none of these objects were remotely interesting and 6 pages was going to be a challenge. 

After four straight days of hard work and dedication I finished the paper. The four days of my weekend included a trip to the V&A, getting a membership at the V&A Library, actually researching and studying at the library for an entire afternoon AND evening, and writing for about 20 hours. All in all, the paper was a complete waste of time and an actual disaster. BUT not only did I avoid procrastinating until the night before, I finished TWO WHOLE DAYS before it was due. Obviously this was the fruit of divine intervention (thanks, Beyonce) so I decided to celebrate my glorious victory by purchasing two red velvet gluten-free cupcakes from a local bakery. Best. Decision. Ever. 

The following day my politics class had a field trip to see the State Rooms in Buckingham Palace. They were elaborately decorated and fairly interesting. The best part was actually after the tour when we were able to grab some tea and hang out in the Gardens at the palace. That's right, I had tea at Buckingham Palace, deal with it. 

After the tour was over I was done with classes for the week. I knew that as soon as I returned to my flat I was going to have to start working on my paper so I decided to make use of the nice weather and explore a bit. I walked from Buckingham Palace all the way to Kensington Gardens where I saw the Peter Pan Statue and a bit of the Palace.

Unable to not take up the opportunity of shopping during London Fashion Week I also went to Oxford Circus. The Forever 21 was not as impressive as the one in Times Square but it was still cool. I ended up buying a few sweaters at H&M but the real treasure of the day was when I experienced the best thing the UK has to offer: Primark. I thought it would be like Target, but it is so much more than that. Primark is basically the love child of Target and Forever 21 with H&M as its godparent. I will never love anything as much I love Primark. 

Yesterday was when the real excitement began; after being here for over a month I had only seen two of my friends from the UK (extreme disappointment). Yesterday was exciting because the fairest hipster of them all (Paolo) decided to visit me. We had quite the adventure getting on the wrong tubes, trying to go to closed stations, and almost not being able to find the right pub. It was really nice being able to see someone I know and hang out for a bit! 

Today was nearly the biggest disaster of my life. For my Art and Architecture class we had a trip to Hampton Court to look at the Tudor art and architecture. We had to be at Waterloo train station for 9am to catch the train (it was especially important to be on time because we had to hand in our papers and the professor does not accept late ones). While I was not happy about having to be to class an hour earlier than usual, I was fairly excited to visit the palace. Apparently fate did not want me to have an easy morning. I left with more than twice the amount of time needed to get to the station and I was still late. There were three tube delays and the only way up from the underground platform at Waterloo that I arrived at was broken. The train we were scheduled for left at 9:06, I didn't make it to the platform until ten past. Luckily my teacher was also running behind so the class had to take a later train anyway, and I did not get in trouble or penalized. The trip itself was interesting even though we were rushed and not able to see everything we wanted to. 

Now I am incredibly exhausted from all of the work and stress over the past few days so I am going to bed early. Peace out, Girl Scouts. 

xoxo, 

Kaity 

I saw Thorin Oakenshield with the Devil!

This week hasn't been super busy, but it has been exciting. 

On Tuesday my Art and Architecture class went on a field trip to tour Westminster Abbey. It was very interesting and informative. but this wasn't the best part of my Tuesday/week/month/LIFE... 

While I am excited for all of the shows I am going to see with my theatre class this semester, I was mostly excited to see The Crucible. Even though it is incredibly tragic I have loved the play since I read it in high school. When I was a kid I loved to talk about the witch trials in school, especially around Halloween when Hocus Pocus came on because, lets be honest that's the greatest movie ever. 

Anyway, this particular production of the Crucible was at The Old Vic and has been the talk of the town all summer. The lighting ,stage design, ad obviously acting were perfection. 

Possibly the best part was that the man who played John Proctor also plays Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit movies. Yes. That's right. I was about 30 feet away from Thorin Oakenshield. He was phenomenal. Incredibly emotional. 

TAKE THAT RACHEL SCHAUB. YOU MAY BE IN NEW ZEALAND BUT I AM CLOSER TO A REAL LIFE HOBBIT.

Side note: he is incredibly tall for a Hobbit (6' 2'')

But yeah, that's actually pretty much it. Not that exciting of a week. 

xoxo, 

Kaity

Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge.

Today was the first field trip this semester (yay!)... well really the first one since like sixth grade. We went to Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge. Can I just say... so cool. Like for real. They are both beautiful places and even though my feet are killing me I am very glad that I got to go! 

So first we went to Salisbury to see the cathedral. It was a lot bigger than I was anticipating but it was absolutely gorgeous (like Ithaca!). Possibly the coolest part of the cathedral was getting to see one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. Looking at that document was beyond cool. Next year it will be 800 years old...that is more than twice the age of The United States. That's crazy. 

After our tour we had some free time to walk around the town. We stopped at Cupcake Heaven (which was indeed heaven). They had gluten-free cupcakes and mine was delicious. 

We also stopped at a fruit stand and I bought some delicious fresh raspberries!

Next we went to the coolest stop of the day: Stonehenge. It was incredible. I was slightly disappointed that we were allowed inside the circle it was still super cool. The best (and also worst) part about going was that Obama showed up... less than half an hour after we left. How unlucky is that? HOW COOL WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN?!?!?

I also made one of the best purchases of my trip thus far: Stonehenge Strawberry wine. YES. You read that right. Wine. It is so delicious. I'm considering ordering it online (because it is way worth the 7 pound post fee). 

Well, that's pretty much it for the trip! 

xoxo, 

Kaity

Name Change

Well, as much as I loved the last title it needed changing. One of Liz's friends has "There and Back Again"as her blog title. So I've changed mine. 

Besides, doesn't this new title reflect me well? #whitestkidyouknow

Kaity

Revenge, Murder, and a whole lot of Adventure.

Okay, I promise I didn't murder anyone. As you know, one of the classes I am taking is called Drama in the London Theatre. For this class I will be attending one production per week to go along with the plays we are reading in class. This week's book and production was Medea. 

The play is a Greek tragedy and is pretty short and simple. Basically this lady Medea is crazy. She murders her brother and betrays her family to be with her true love. Her true love then betrays her to raise his status by marrying a princess. Rather than moving on and dealing with it like a normal person, Medea decides that it's a good idea to kill the king, the princess, and her two children all to make her husband upset. 

The show was at the beautiful National Theatre here in London. It was magnificent. There were a few cheesy parts (mainly the dancing which looked like the dancers were having some sort of fit), but overall it was amazing. The lighting, music, stage design, and OBVIOUSLY the acting made the show that much more powerful. Also the woman playing Medea also plays Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter (perfect fit, right?)! 

After the show my flatmate and I walked around a bit and took some cool (and highly touristy) pics of the area around the theatre! There was a frozen yogurt stand set up in an old double-decker bus! That's pretty much all for now but I hope to have some cool photos and stories to share after the Stonehenge trip this weekend! 

xoxo

Kaity 

First Few Weeks

I'm here! I've started this blog (thanks, Liz) to keep track of, and share, everything I do while I study abroad in London. I'm here practically on my own. Coming over I did not know any of the other students from Ithaca for this semester. I was nervous, but also excited to meet new people and make new friends. 

The first few weeks have been quite hectic. I am living with three other Ithaca College students in a lovely flat in Earl's Court. We found it on the first day of the flat hunt (SUCCESS!) and we have been quite happy here so far. We are the perfect distance from everything and I feel that I will be very happy here for the next few months. 

Classes started last week, and I am very excited for what I am going to learn in all of mine. I am taking Minorities in the UK, British Art and Architecture, Drama in the London Theatre, and Contemporary British Politics. All of these classes have something that deeply interests me AND they have field trips. 

Exciting things that have happened so far:

- Last week I got to go see Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's Globe. It was an amazing performance and an outstanding experience. Going to the theatre reminded me just how rich the culture here is and made me so excited to learn and see more. 

-At the end of the first week I was sitting in my hotel room with nothing to do so I decided to go exploring by myself. I ended up only going to Parliament Square, Westminster, and the area of the Thames around the London Eye but it was still very fun and rewarding. I was very nervous coming to live in a city for the first time on my own and it was very calming for me as I was able to navigate public transport on my own. As much as I wish I had some close friends staying with me, it was very special to be able to have time taking in the history and beauty of London by myself. 

- This past Friday I was able to do something that I have been looking forward to since my older sister Liz studied in London back in the spring of 2011; I got to tour Parliament. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures but it was really cool to be able to see the beautiful architecture and be in a building with so much history and importance. Standing in some of the rooms I felt overwhelmed by the thoughts of all of the people and events the building had seen. Some parts of Parliament that we were able to tour were older than the United States....that's crazy. 

-The most exciting thing that I have done since I got here was when I was reunited with my amazing British bestie, Katie Squire. I took the train and went down to stay with her and her family for the weekend. We went to a family party and out on her cousin's boat to watch an air show. I never thought that I would be interested in planes, but oh my goodness they were extraordinary. There were planes from WWII and later. My favorite part was watching the Red Arrows, they are so majestic. 

Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this, God knows I tend to drop stuff like this after a few posts. This week I am looking forward to seeing my first show in The West End and going on a trip to Stonehenge. 

xoxo

Kaity