Shakespeare

            

I am so happy that I have had to chance to experience a lot of Shakespeare in my time in London so far, and I'm ready for more next semester. Above are the three plays I've had the privilege to see, and they all come with a unique story.

Here's a picture of Benedict, just because

As for Hamlet, I've probably raved enough about how much I loved it. Hamlet continues to be my favorite Shakespeare play and play in general. There are just so many things I could say about it, but I'll restrain myself so I don't bore you to tears. If you're interested about my experience, and I haven't already talked your ear off about it, there is an entry below. If you're still interested, I have a 6 page rant about it I'd be more than happy to share with you. :)

Shakespeare's Birthplace

The second play I saw was Henry V. I have to say that I was really tired when I saw this, so while I understood the story I didn't have the energy it takes to fully appreciate a Shakespeare play the first time you see it. The reason I was tired was because we had woken up at 6 in the morning to take a bus to Stratford-upon-Avon, aka, Shakespeare's home town. My British Literature class took an overnight trip there, and it was so amazing. I love that little town and if I wasn't terrified of the implications of being a writer living in the same town as the greatest writer of all time, I would plan to move there is a minute.

Am I a Coward?

We spent some time hearing lectures about Shakespeare, walking around the charming little town, and ending the night by seeing The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Henry V. (I can't believe that's sentence I can say.) I love Shakespeare, so while I had a hard time really soaking in all the wonderful language and details that make a Shakespeare play wonderful, I enjoyed seeing a Shakespeare play I had never seen before. Also, Alex Hassel, who played Henry, was a wonderful actor and has that incredible talent to interpert Shakespeare for the audience. The next day, the other English class joined us and we tour the several houses in Stratford that had to do with Shakespeare. It was a wonderful trip and I'm so amused by that little town that is geard to nerds like me. Also while I was there, I had the chance to see the third folio of Shakespeares' work and the lovely workers there kindly turned pages for me until I found my favorite line. You guessed it: Am I a Coward?

Globe Theater Stage

The last play I've seen (so far) was Richard II at the Globe theater. :D. I can't believe I got to see a production in that glorious monument to Jacobean theater and Shakespeare. It was such an incredible experience. No, I did not watch he play from the pit, I decided to upgrade to a seat, although it would have been fun to interact with the actor, I'm not about standing for 3 hours. I actually squeezed some of my exhausted friends into the benches so they could sit for the second half of the play. The globe theater is incredibly beautiful and I wish I could see every production they put on. As we saw the play on closing night, we stuck around to watch the audience and cast members through flowers back and forth to celebrate the end of the season. Wonderful actors and such a wonderful play.

Brighton

The first time I left London was to travel to the charming little town of Brighton, which is a town on the coast of the English Channel. A big group of us bought non-peak time tickets and traveled on a train to the town I think of as English Santa Monica. The day was nice and warm, as it was still September at the time and the town was pack, as it was hosting the Rugby world cup and there was a game that day.

A clock tower in a square in the middle of the city

I spent most of the day wandering around the streets of Brighton, walking down the rocky beach, and perusing all of the Rugby themed stalls, as a street market had popped up, marking the way towards the stadium.
It really was a warm and beautiful day, as you might be able to tell from the pictures. Through most of my first semester, I think I experienced uncommonly good weather, but that might change for the next one. I enjoyed the sun while it lasted, and it almost seemed like I was back in California, walking through Santa Monica.

From the pier, looking over the English Channel

The Brighton Pier

In the evening, we wandered around to find a pub that wasn't completely full where we could watch the Rugby match between South Africa and Japan. I found myself cheering on the underdog team, Japan, to a surprise victory. The atmosphere was lively, and although everyone in the place was obviously not Japanese and very English, there were huge cheers for the Japanese team every time they scored a try. (I think that's the right term, but I'm not sure if you score a try or if you just try...) Speaking of try, I was so amused at the fans holding up signs that said "try" on them, until I realized that was the term for scoring. I really just thought that rugby had a bizarrely mild fan base, as if they were saying "just do your best and try. That's all that matters. Go on and at least give it a go".

I loved this little town, and it was the first of many short day trips I plan to take over the next semester. In the end, what I really loved about it is growing closer to the people I travel with. I would never have gone to a pub to watch a game on my own. It's been so fun getting to know the wonderful group of Pepperdine students I came to London with and getting to share incredible experiences with them.

Cheers,
Sarah Kiker

Greece

Pepperdine has a wonderful idea that, while abroad, students should go on what they call an EFT (Educational Feild Trip). For the fall semester, we went to Athens and Santorini. It was an incredible experience and my first trip outside of the UK. I'm basically just going to put up a bunch of pictures and talk about them.

 This photo was taken at the top of the ruins of Delphi. It was about a 3-hour bus ride from Athens but was one of the coolest views. Basically, Delphi was a place were ancient Greeks would come to worship, go the markets, and view sporting events. Most of the place is in ruins now, with only one standing building left. It was an incredible experience. Talk about stepping back into history.

 On that same day we went to a Monastery near Delphi. This is Rebecca and I taking a selfie near the entrance. The monastery was definitely cool, but my favorite part was the awesome view. Also, they sold peanut brittle there and it was fantastic.

 Taken about halfway up the mountain on the way to see the Acropolis. You can see part of the amphitheater in the bottom left corner, but what is really cool about this picture is that you can tell just how high up the  Acropolis is. It was built up high so that you could see it from pretty much anywhere. In fact, it was a huge help in navigating the city. i.e. "Which side of the Acropolis are we on?" and "Our hotel is on the other side of the Acropolis"

 The Acropolis. Self-explanatory. Also, there were A LOT of people up there. 

 Still at the top of the Acropolis, where there's a Greece flag and a place to overlook the rest of Athens. Point if you can spot me.

 The Acropolis from Mars Hill. Mars Hill is the place where ancient Greeks used to hold court. Also, this is the sight of one of Paul's sermon. In Acts 17:16-34 Paul talks to the people of Athens about the one true God. "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands." (verse 24). Nicely done Paul, well-placed sermon.

Oia in Santorini is the place with the beautiful blue-domed churches. We had to take a seven-hour boat ride to get here, on which, nearly half of my fellow students got seasick. In my opinion, it was worth it. Oia (pronounced ee-ah, as we were told at least 20 times throughout the week), was the most beautiful part of Greece I got to see.  

 #candidmoment, right? Oia is full of photo opportunities, so why not take advantage?

We spent an evening in Oia, so we got to watch the incredible sunset from an old castle. It was the most relaxing, enjoyable time of the trip in my opinion. Nothing to do, nowhere to go except hang out with a lovely group of people and watch the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Sorry Pepperdine, but the Oia sunset has got you beat.

 Take all the selfies!

Black Sands beach in Santorini. Featuring my new favorite thing, the ukulele I bought in Athens. I had such a fun time hanging out, watching the gentle waves and playing the ukulele for the other tourist on the beach.










Greece was an incredible experience. There was a lot of travel involved and we were wiped out for the next week, but it was all worth it. What a great first EFT. Next semester we got to Jordan, so stay tuned ;)

Cheers,
Sarah

Hamlet

Hello! Been awhile hasn't it?

Alright, let's talk about the most exciting thing that has happened to me since I've been here: Hamlet.

Taken around 8 a.m. when the sun was finally up. SO EXCITED

It began at 4 a.m. in the morning, I snuck as quietly as I could out of the room so I wouldn't disturb my roommate and piled into a taxi with 9 other intensely excited and overly tired girls. Some of us are Shakespeare nerds, some of us really love Sherlock, some of us really love Benedict Cumberbatch, some of us (me) could not believe that their favorite actor was going to perform as their favorite literary character. We got in line, only 11 people in front of us, and waited until 10:30 a.m. to get one of 30, day tickets to see Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet. It was cold, it was early, there was no place to pee until 7 a.m., but it was all worth it. Everyone in my group fell asleep on the floor in front of the box office, when the kind workers finally let us inside, but not me. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't believe what was about to happen. We got the tickets. I cried, I laughed, I still didn't go to sleep when we finally got back to the house around 1 p.m.

At the play! Still can't believe his happened.

I can't tell you how much I love Hamlet. I started off not liking the book in high school because I didn't understand. I read it again my freshman year of college, and I absolutely loved it. Hamlet is such a complex, emotional character. I've spent a year watching every interpretation of him that I can get my hands on. I want to see all different sides of the character because he can be played in so many different ways. He is the most complex character I've ever read about and his issues are moral dilemmas that most of us are scared to even think about. He is a bit selfish, but I don't understand how people who portray him as wishy-washy or idiotic. I want to see every side of him, and I'm not just gushing over my favorite actor when I say Benedict Cumberbatch was incredible. I'm not going to say that he was the best ever, but he's the best I've seen. I just solidified my love for Hamlet and my adoration of Benedict. My favorite line of his was "Am I a coward?" It's really simple, but the way Benedict said it really conveyed the character to me and showed me the core problem he is facing. Hamlet doesn't want to be a coward by not taking action, but taking the life of his uncle isn't something to take lightly.

The show itself was incredible: all of the actors, the set, the lighting. Honestly, I can't stop talking about it.
So after the show, Benedict came to the stage door and signed autographs. After seeing the show, I wasn't quick enough to say hi or get an autograph, but I did get this video where he points at me and says thanks.

You can't see him in this picture, but you can see just how crazy everyone is about him 

I have to admit though that I wasn't satisfied with just that video. I had a really strong desire to tell him that I really admired his work and thought his portray of Hamlet was amazing, and there was only one way to do that. Go back to the theater and wait. So a couple of my friends and I went back to the stage door a couple of weeks later, about an hour before the show ended and waited. I've spent a lot of time at this theater. A group of girls literally laid on top of me and pushed into my back trying to get closer. I really hate crowds and my personal bubble is more like a defensive wall, but I stuck it out and eventually, Benedict came out to say hello. I got his autograph on my copy of Hamlet, I gave him a letter where I raved about how much I loved Hamlet and appreciated his interpretation, and I talked to him for just the briefest of moments. All I got the chance to say was "I really love Hamlet, and I thought you did an amazing job." He said thank you. I also got to talk to many of the other actors and tell them all about my love for their performance. Mission accomplished.

Benedict's Signature on the cover page of my Hamlet book. 

Every time I think about it, I honestly just can't believe it. It just so happened that my favorite actor was acting in my favorite play while I just so happened to be studying in London and they just decided to save thirty, day tickets for poor, crazy college students like me. It all worked out so perfectly and I'm so crazily happy it did.

The Weekend and My First Week of Classes

Big Ben
The London Eye
Trafalgar Square
Piccadilly Circus
Covent Gardens
Buckingham Palace
The above were all a part of an insane scavenger hunt that took place on the first Sunday we were in London. I have pictures of all of them now, but I know almost nothing about them. As we were walking past Big Ben, I realized that I had no idea what it even was. (It's attached to the build that houses parliament.) So, we took our typical tourist pictures of all of them and I promised to return soon so I could become acquainted with who they actually were. The scavenger hunt was impeded by some type of bike race taking place from Picadilly Square to Big Ben, so we did a lot of extra walking to get around fence barriers.

Covent Gardens - Very crowded on Sunday

Big Ben - Always Crowded

The London Eye - We only got this close because we were exhausted by the time we got there 

Buckingham Palace - No Queen today

Classes
I'm a nerd. I didn't realize how much I loved learning until I got here. I actually promised that I would only take 14 hours this semester so  I could make sure I have time to see the sights. Well, guess what - I'm in 18 now, and in 4 units that won't even be for credit. Why? I'm a huge, unashamed nerd. Here's a list of the classes I'm taking and why I love them.
1. British Literature
Probably the most important of my classes as it actually counts towards my major, but also probably my favorite. I mean, how much better can you get than studying British Literature in London? It's an English major's dream. I mean, Charles Dicken's house is in London, the first word in Bleak House is London. (Tale of Two Cities is my FAV book) Shakespeare. The Globe. (for which I have tickets to in October :D)
2. Humanities
Mostly a class on art in the medieval times and the renaissance. This is a topic I know very little about and am eager to learn as much as possible. I have not one, but two incredible professors for this class, one of which meets us at the National Gallery every Monday night and shares with us the history of several paintings. All I can say is that I now have a huge interest in art. Amazing.
3. History of the English Monarch
This is the class that doesn't actually count for anything, which is sad because more people need to be in this class. We went to Buckingham Place for the first class. Not around it, not next to it, IN IT. Guys, I've walked on the same steps as the Queen, and I get to be more than an observer of these things, I get to engage with them and learn the personalities of the past kings and queens of England. Last week we walked the perimeter of the Whitehall Palace, or at least the ghost of it, (Whitehall was the biggest palace in Europe but was burned down. In it's place are the modern government buildings, including the prime minister's house.) I can't rave enough about this class.
4. Theater Appreciation.
I love theater soooooooooooo much and now I get to see 6 plays in the birthplace of theater. It's unthinkable, but it's happing to me. Also, it's a very small class with only 3 people and I love how intimate it is. I love the plays we've read and the insight they give into the minds of the more modern English person (the 1940's is modern in my mind now).
5. Science as a Way of Knowing
Well, we can't all be winners. I actually love science, but this class apparently translates to sport science, which - ughhhhh. I appreciate the professor and his attempt to appeal to the greatest number of people, but he couldn't have picked a worse topic for me. The important thing about this class is that I counts for my lab science and doesn't really contain that much actual lab science.

There they are. I thought it was going to be hard to do classes and travel at the same time, but I love almost all of my classes and I think they will enrich my time abroad, not hinder it. Besides, I only have 4 days of classes a week and I'm done by noon on Thursday. It's really and incredible opportunity.

Alright, now that we've actually gotten through the first two weeks, be excited for even more things to come in the future.

Cheers,
Sarah

My First Week in London

Actually, I've been in London for almost a month (whoops). I don't feel bad at all because I've been too busy to reminisce. It's been all go, go, go since I stepped off the plane, but I do have a few moments right now; I'd thought I'd throw a post together so I can look back on this and remember my crazy year in London one day. This will probably be more like a digital scrapbook than anything else.

So, week one:

Flight number 1
Can you tell it's over Lubbock?

   I traveled for almost 24 hours straight to get here. I took a plane from Lubbock to Dallas, Dallas to Los Angeles, then finally Los Angeles to London. I left at 9 am on September 9th and arrived in London on September 10th. There was an eight-hour layover in LA, the flight to London was ten hours, but the hours don't seem that bad anymore. I took a sleeping pill and experienced the best sleep I've had in a public place. However, I do have to say that I've never been more cramped in my life. "Oh, international flights aren't as small as your everyday southwest flight" Right. It's smaller. So, so little leg room and my backpack took up more than it should have, but I made it Heathrow at what would be 10 a.m. in Texas (8 a.m. in LA) and was actually 4 p.m. in London. After successfully getting through customs, (I still have nightmares about the visa process) we took a coach to our new home: 56 Princes Gate

The London House

   It's an amazing house, and I've loved living here. I lucked out and got a two person room with my long-time friend, Rebecca, which is amazing considering I could have wound up in a six person room. There are two beds, two wardrobes, and oddly only one desk (which we rarely use anyway). It's a small space, but since we managed to pack ourselves into 1 and 1/2 suitcase each, we aren't cramped and it's actually more spacious than my freshman year dorm (*shudders*).
The house itself is 5 stories high and it's hard to capture in pictures how cool it is. It's decorated from the Victorian era and there are replicas of some amazing paintings hanging on the walls. We call it the London House, but it is a school in itself; offices, classrooms, faculty flats are all under this one roof. All of my classes meet in one of the two classrooms, and I finally get to stay away from cafeteria food, as there is a kitchen in the basement.

South Kensington

Hyde Parke; it's hard to tell,
 but there are at
least three monuments in this picture

   London House is located in South Kensington, A beautiful part of central London. The House is seconds away from 3 museum: The Science Musem, The Victorian Albert Musem, and The Natural History Musem. Also, only a few minutes walk away, Hyde Park is nearly in our backyard. I've spent a few days just wandering around the area outside our house and looking at all the history contained in just a few blocks. If you're ever in London I have to recommend you stop by Kensington Crepes, tour the Victorian Albert Musem, and take a walk by Kensington Palace in Hyde Park. It's absolutely wonderful, especially now, because the weather is still really nice (and by that I mean it's been hovering in the 60's and it doesn't rain everyday). London in September is beautiful.

Another Monument,
this time it's King Albert
 and behind him, the Royal Albert Hall.

   There are a lot of monuments in London. I would be hard pressed to try and remember all of their names. What is really amazing though is the way that they come out of nowhere. In Lubbock, you can see everything coming for miles ahead, but here huge pieces of history are hiding behind trees and buildings. It is a breathtaking moment when you are just walking along and suddenly come across something like a giant golden statue of King Albert. It's hard to put into words, but seeing these things in real life is much different than seeing them on a screen. In a picture, even a good one, you don't feel the weight of what you're seeing.

We took a walking tour of South Kensington on the second day in London and become official brits by purchasing our Oyster Cards. (Tube passes, like the subway in New York.) We found out that Tube is pronounced like 'choobe' and that you must stand on the right side of the escalator and walk on the left. Also, it is very hard to orient yourself and remember which way cars are coming from when crossing the street. So far, there haven't been any crashes, but we've come very close a few times.

Stonehenge - the coolest pile of rocks in town

And that brings us to Stonehenge and Salisbury, our first day trip out of London. Stonehenge was amazing. If you go, I think it can be hard to really understand why this pile of rocks is so cool, so if you do go I recommend going with a tour guide, or watching a documentary on the site beforehand. Also, there is a 'magic line' associated with Stonehenge where some people claim to feel an unusual sensation when standing on it. Find it, and see if you can feel it. No reports of unusual feelings from me; unless you count the satisfaction of standing in a very historic area.

Salisbury Cathedral

 Salisbury is a small town with a big historical footprint. The cathedral was amazing, and a real mark of architectural progress, as it was built in under 40 years. A true representation of the gothic period, Salisbury cathedral is a beautiful piece of history. It is also home to one of the original copies of the Magna Carta. (1 of 4 copies in existence today.) It was insane how the cathedral just appeared out of nowhere and I don't think the picture I have really tells you how immense it is.

Me, looking like a real tourist on a
random street in Salisbury. Good times. 

The picture of me standing on a random street is Salisbury is one of my "look at how good I am at photography" Instagram posts, where I try to come up with fun poses instead of the normal stand and smile. It's going well, but I have definitely had plenty of strange looks and a few "you can't take pictures here. Please get out of my alley."

That about wraps up my first week, but I haven't even made it to the weekend yet, so there's more good stuff to come. Hopefully I'll get the chance to check in again soon, so I can actually write down things before I forget most of them.
And I just like to take a moment and be a cliche for a moment. I am so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for everyone who helped me get here.

Although I haven't been posting on it for regularly, you can feel free to check out my other blog where I put some of my short stories/poems here

Cheers,
Sarah

Ello! and Other Offensive Cliches

Hi Friends!
First off, thank you so much for reading. Welcome to Sarah Writes in London!
I am so excited about the time I will get to spend studying in London.If you'd like, I'll share some of my time with you. I'm not sure how often I will post, but I'm aiming for once a week. Don't hold me to that because I'm awful at keeping a schedule.
I feel like this is an awful, cliched thing that a lot of students do and no one reads, but that doesn't really bother me; I'm special.
Just kidding.
I don't read other blogs like this one; if you've seen this kind of thing before and are rolling your eyes because I'm soooooo basic, sorry. #notsorry
Oh my, the cliched hashtags and phrases are already rolling in.
And
I
hit
the
enter
button
too
much
.

I don't know much about the English or much of Europe, and I'm sure that my post are already making my future London friends cringe. That's how bad it is. My cliched awful blog is transcending time to make the potential future readers shiver in my ignorance. Their groans are traveling back in time and hitting my ears now. Yes... this is a satisfying amount of pain caused by my writing. I'm on the right track.
Wow, if you've made it this far, you're a right good chap, mate! Cheerio!


Sorry...






#notsorry


-Sarah