You might be wondering about the title for this blog. What am I halfway to or from? It seems pretty vague, so I will clarify. Halfway there, as in, halfway gone. As in, halfway over. As in, I've got less than four months remaining in my time in England. I still can't believe that it's already nearing the end of January. I mean, I just got here. I shouldn't be halfway done already. I don't know where the time has gone, but I'd like a little more of it back.
This past weekend, the group went to London for the weekend. Since I am technically no longer a Study Center student, none of the trips are planned and paid for for me. However, since London is so close, and Matt our director planned a wonderful day of activities, I tagged along with everyone on Friday.
Our first stop was the Tower of London. Before Friday, I hadn't been to the Tower of London yet, but it had always been on the top of my list to go and see. My favorite English monarchs were the Tudors, and a lot of things happened at the Tower with the Tudors, so I was really excited to go and see it. I loved walking around the outside of the tower and climbing up all the narrow spiral staircases. Being in a castle helps me to imagine what it would have been like back in the days of the Tudors, and I feel like I'm a part of the history when I do that. I also got to see the tower where the two princes were (supposedly) murdered by their uncle, Richard III, and the Crown Jewels.
Our second stop was the Imperial War Museum. Since we are celebrating a hundred years since World War I, there was a World War I exhibit in the museum that was very well done. I also appreciated the work that they put into the Holocaust exhibit, and it was very moving, as things of that nature always are to me.
Our last stop of the night was my absolute favorite thing that we did, and the biggest reason why I wanted to see London with the group. Friday night, we went to the Apollo Victoria Theatre and saw "Wicked." This was my first time seeing "Wicked," but I have wanted to see it since it first came to stage when I was in middle school. For those who don't know, it is a musical about the Wicked Witch of the West (named Elphaba) and Glinda the Good Witch. I already had very high expectations about what this show was going to be like, and it was even better than I had imagined it could be.
The best part of the play was when Elphaba sang "Defying Gravity" and then rose up into the air, declaring that there was nothing in the world that could ever bring her down. I can't describe the feeling I got when that happened. I got goose bumps and started tearing up. I'm tearing up right now, just thinking about it. It was an absolutely incredible show with a wonderful cast, and I wanted to see it again as soon as I stepped out of the theatre.
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, to say the least :). Now I'm back in Cambridge again for a little bit. I'm excited about this new group, and I really look forward to getting to know all of them better throughout what will be another short, adventure-packed semester! As always, questions and comments are accepted, appreciated, and encouraged.
Until next time,
Stephanie
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