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