London, Day 5 (Thursday 10 December)

Highlights of my last full day in London:
1. Coffee with Georgie
2. Tate Modern
3. Globe Theatre performance
4. ND after-performance party
5. Last night in the hostel

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1. Coffee with Georgie

So, for once, I didn't head straight to the British Museum, but instead made my way to the Russell Square tube station to meet up with one of my British friends. I met Georgie Peters on Facebook about a year ago, and we got to be good friends. I promised her that when I came to England, I'd see her at least once.

She's studying at UCL, so we met at a Starbucks close to there and chatted for at least an hour. It was nice to meet up with a friend for once, instead of just standing silently in museums all day like I had been doing. Also, I love Starbucks, so it was nice to get a latte for once and just sit and stay off my feet.

Before I left to start my day for real, Georgie took me on a brief tour of the UCL campus that she's on, and she even showed me the nearest tube station before she went back to work in the library. Oh, those silly universities that are on the semester system while I'm on the funkiest trimesters ever.

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2. Tate Modern

I spent five hours at the Tate Modern getting very confused by modern art. Seriously, that's about the sum total of my experience in there.

Although, I must say, they had a copy of my favorite statue in there, and I squee'd like a fangirl when I saw it in person. So that was exciting. I also was able to do a little shopping for myself, so good on me.

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3. Globe Theatre performance

So, I had heard from my friend at ND, Mary Kearns, that she was going to be in a play at the Globe theatre. Naturally, I was eager to see her. (Somehow, I got lost on my way there, even though it's, like, RIGHT NEXT TO the Tate. This just goes to show you how helpless I am with compass-point directions.)

It was a brief performance of Othello, just basically the highlights, done in a very modern style. The staging was excellent, and there was even singing. But the best part was that it was in the Globe freaking theatre. The open air theater, preserved as it would have been in Shakespeare's time, with all of us ND people standing on the open floor where the rabble would have stood. It was kind of brilliant, actually, and I enjoyed it very much. Mary did her reading very well and it was nice to see her. I also ran into two of my roommates from freshman year, Danielle and Katherine, and managed to make a new 'friend' along the way.

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4. ND after-performance party

So, after the brief (30-minute, maybe) performance, there was a reception held in the first floor of the Globe for all of the ND people who had attended. I had to pay 5 pounds for a ticket but it was worth it for snacks and the opportunity to talk and visit with my friends. Ben LaPres managed to find me in a room full of people and waved me over to talk about NaNo, studying abroad, and whatnot for a while.

Then, abruptly, most people seemed to leave the party, and I met up with Mary today. She kind of made my day, actually. She walked me across the Millenium Bridge and we walked past St. Paul's Cathedral, which was lit up beautifully at night. We could see it across the river... just gorgeous. She walked me to the St. Paul's tube station and then she said goodbye... I hope exams go well for her.

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5. Last night in the hostel

So, during my last night, I actually got to know one of my new roommates. Most of my roommates, besides the guy in the bunk above me, changed in the five nights I was there. By the time of the last night, I was with two British (Australian? couldn't tell with the accent, but British is more likely) girls, the guy above me's friend, a few Asian guys, and then Scott. Scott's an American, in his 40s-ish, originally from Raleigh area, NC, but now working out of Birmingham by way of Washington DC. It was interesting talking to him, because he got his PhD from a British university so he knows how the system works a little bit.

I also needed to call home. For those of you who don't know, my grandmother passed away last Friday, and her funeral was yesterday, so I called home and offered what little condolences I could. I feel terrible about not being there, but there's literally nothing I could have done.

More journal-writing, and that was the end of my night.

- Jen -