Mind the Gap

My care-free touristy week has come to an end. Tomorrow is the first day of class! I'm feeling like a Freshman all over again. I have these nervous butterflies at the pit of my stomach while my mind runs rapid with different scenarios of how tomorrow is going to go. It's easy to say I'm stressing myself out more than I need to.

My current thoughts:

- What if I can't find my classroom building? 

- How early do students get to classes here?

- What if I don't make any friends and then I won't have anyone to do my group projects with?

- Why on earth do I only have like 2 assignments in each class and some are 60% of my grade?! 

- How am I going to be able to pay attention when my classes are 3 and a half hours long?

As you can tell I'm kind of freaking out. All I know is that I made this life changing decision to come to this country all by myself and study abroad. I should have been freaking out the whole way here yet I was weirdly calm. Somehow I just knew everything would work out like it was supposed to. And it has. I have had the greatest time so far and I know I can handle school. (Just have to keep telling myself this!) 

Aside from my stressful babbling I have had an incredible time hitting up more of London's historical destinations this weekend. Yesterday ISA took us on our first excursion to Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick Castle and then today we went to the Tower of London. 

Stratford Upon Avon:

- This is the town where Shakespeare was born and raised and then eventually buried in. We got to go inside the actual house he was born in and lived in for most of his youth. We walked by the house his daughter lived in, the school he went to as a boy, the location where his house was that he died in, and finally the church where he is buried. 

-The church was breath-taking. It's like you could feel how much history had occurred there right when you walked in. You don't find places like that back in the states. The back of the church was where Shakespeare and his family were buried. His grave is 20 feet deep and has a creepy sign posted on top of it. It basically said that whoever moves his bones will be cursed. I pictured Stratford as this old timey town but it was actually pretty modern. We had McDonald's for lunch. Mostly because we were on a time crunch. This is definitely a place I would like to go back to and explore some more. 

Warwick Castle:

- I have a small obsessions with castles. Mainly because I find their history fascinating and also could have something to do with the fact that I wish I was royal. We climbed to the top of the towers which is quite challenging. 530 steps to the top. You were definitely feeling the burn, but it was so worth it. The view was amazing! 

-We wandered around the castle grounds for a little while. Madame Tussauds had purchased part of the castle and set up the inside to replicate what it would look like back in its prime. It was very entertaining! I met the Queen. 

-On the castle ground was a Rose Garden that Princess Diana had reopened. Obviously there weren't any roses there right now but you could imagine how beautiful it would look in the summertime. 

Tower of London:

- This was one of the sites I was most looking forward to visiting. Unfortunately it was freezing this weekend. It made being outside for too long miserable and we were out there for a good hour and a half while our tour guide led us around. It was rough but we did the best we could! The tour guide had some interesting stories about what has happened in the tower throughout the years.

      - The Ravens. I found this story to be very weird. There are 8 ravens that live on the grounds and legend has it that when they leave the tower for good the monarchy will fall and the tower will be destroyed. So the Ravens are taken very good care of. They have a heated living space, get served rolls dipped in blood (ew), and have a designated caretaker. Seems silly. 

     - The Yeoman, also known as Beefeaters, actually live inside the Tower. They're retired military soldiers and it's considered quite an honor to be one. 

     - Being royal back then would have been terrifying. Everyone was constantly trying to steal the throne and would stop at nothing to get it. Even killing their own family members! One uncle resorted to killing his 12 year old nephew. 

    - My favorite part was the crown jewels. They're absolutely beautiful! We saw all of the stuff Queen Elizabeth used during her coronation. One of the jewels was 530 carats. Ridiculous. 

Obsessed with this picture. It proves England does have sun and it's just really pretty. 

Wish me luck on my first day of school tomorrow! Cheers!