My Primary class! (Left to right: Alex, Annabelle, Poppy, Julian, and Felicia)
That evening we had our farewell fireside, as I mentioned before, and it was one of the highlights of the entire trip. It was the moment I realized how much I had come to love everyone there, and how much I had learned! One of the girls made a slideshow, so it was so much fun to look back on all the good times we’ve had. There were the classic sleeping-on-the-bus pictures – everyone had one! We all just looked incredibly uncomfortable. You’re kind of on the edge of your seat, waiting for your turn, and crossing your fingers that your mouth isn’t completely open. (Luckily mine was closed! I was just slumped all the way down in the chair, with my neck bent in a very unnatural position, my hair a frizzy disaster. Oh well, it could be have been a lot worse.) Those pictures are a great example of how we all got so close to each other in those short seven weeks. By the end we had no secrets – we’d all seen each other at our worst! Whether it’s sleeping with your mouth open on the bus or coming to class with no makeup on or eating breakfast in your pajamas.
After the slideshow, the six boys in our group gave us another surprise! They had written every girl their own personal letter and then gave everyone a chocolate bar! It was so thoughtful – we’re lucky to have had such sweet boys!
After the fireside we had our last Cookies and Conversation. I don’t know if I mentioned that before, but every Sunday the Crowe’s brought Digestive cookies down for everyone, (the name isn’t appetizing at all, I know, but they were so good! I will miss them) giving us the opportunity to sit and chat together! This is where I had some of my best conversations with the Crowe’s – I’m telling you, they are the best people!
Monday brought finals, and it was the best finals experience I’ve ever had! First of all, I was so glad that I decided to take English and Fine Arts instead of History. I had to do a lot of work throughout the semester, but it meant that most of my work was done by the end. The History kids didn’t have many assignments throughout the semester, but they had three papers due on the day of finals. It was a very stressful few days for them! A few pulled all nighters. Also, they had a multiple-choice test with no study guide, so everyone stayed up really late Sunday night studying. My English final required no studying, and was actually kind of fun! For the first part we played Catchphrase, using phrases from the seven books we had to read during the semester. I totally failed on the first word I got (in my defense, once the timer went off and I said what my word was, no one else knew what it was either!), but for my second word I was able to tie up the game! Our team lost in the tiebreaker though. The next part of the test was in groups and we had to change the historical setting of one of the books. My group was assigned was Treasure Island, and we changed it to a Western – Treasure Canyon! The last part of the test was less fun – three short essays, but I got through them all right. It felt so good to be done with that class!
Class photo after the final
My Fine Arts final was even more unique. We had to turn in an essay talking about our favorite artists, museum, etc., but for the second part we had to go to the Saatchi Gallery and do a three-minute presentation with a group about one of the pieces. The Saatchi Gallery is postmodern art, so a lot of it is very strange, and you have to really work to interpret it, but I had so much fun with Alison and Hillary picking out the piece we wanted to present! As we walked around the gallery, I realized how much I’d learned about appreciating art, especially postmodern art. And it was fun to listen to everyone else’s presentations! Every group had such good insights – sometimes people in the gallery would stop to listen to whoever was presenting, and I was so proud of our class because they really sounded like they knew what they were talking about! This final is exactly why a study abroad is such an amazing experience – how often can you have an art final firsthand like that?
There was a lot of excitement at the center on Monday because President Samuelson was in town, and was supposed to be stopping by. The directors made sure we all had our beds made and rooms cleaned because President Samuelson was getting a full tour! (Our room was unrecognizable – one of my roommates finally picked up the garbage that’s been surrounding her bed for the past seven weeks – gotta love having 14 roommates.) We weren’t sure if we were going to see him, though, because he had a lot of places to be and was only going to stop by. Alison, Hillary, and I were very lucky, because we ran into him on our way to the Tube station as we went to the art gallery for our final! He and the other people from BYU he was with stopped and shook our hands. Everyone was hoping he would come back for dinner later that night, but he didn’t make it, so I was so glad I at least got to meet him!
With finals over, we were free to spend the last day and a half finishing up the things we wanted to do in London before we left. On our way home from the gallery, we got a celebratory Ben’s cookie, and then had a picnic with the whole group in Hyde Park for dinner. After dinner, Hillary made Alison and I ride the carousel with her – I’m glad she did, I’ve been walking past it for seven weeks, I needed to do it!
There were still a few things I needed to do before going home, the first being a visit to Abbey Road. It was weird to feel like a tourist again, but we had to get the classic Beatles picture! It’s not as easy at it looks – Abbey Road is still a functional street, so you have to stand on the curb, in ready position, waiting for the perfect gap in between cars. Once you have it, you have to run out into the street, stop, pretend like you’re mid-stride, and then run back onto the sidewalk because by then there’s a car speeding towards you. Honestly, I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents there. (This is totally random, but at the Tube stations, there’s a sign by the escalator warning you to be careful, saying, “This year on the escalator there were 37 injuries and 1 fatality.” How does someone die on an escalator?!?!) I wouldn’t have it any other way, though – it would be a much less memorable experience without having to dodge the cars!
Recreating our Stonehenge pictures - I can't believe it actually worked!
Adding my name to the wall by the Abbey Road studio
The other thing I had to do before going home was to see Big Ben at night. I don’t know why it took that long to do, but I’m glad it happened! I never get over how beautiful I find the Parliament building – and it’s even more so at night. Is it weird to be so in love a building? We just sat on the bridge that overlooks it, along with the London Eye and the Thames, and took in all the lights. It hit me then how completely in love with London I am! I wouldn’t have wanted to do a study abroad in any other city in the world!
Tuesday was my last day, so we tried to make the most out of it! We went to Westminster Abbey first thing, because I hadn’t been inside yet. It was cool to see the graves of Elizabeth I and Mary I, Charles Dickens, Handel, Jane Austen, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin. I also liked being able to see where the wedding was! They have a whole exhibition of photos from it in the chapter house (the English are going to keep the wedding hype going as looooong as possible :) ). After this tour I was thinking about how glad I am that I came during the spring semester. It was totally packed with people inside, and with summer coming it’s only going to get worse!
After lunch (at the Harrod’s food hall one last time :) ), I had a whole afternoon in front of me, and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with it. Alison and Hillary made me choose, since I was leaving and they were staying for another week. I felt like I had seen all the sights and done all the tours I wanted to (honestly, another tour didn’t even sound fun). So we went back to one of my very, very favorite parts of London – Hyde Park! We just sat on the grass between the Round Pond and Kensington Palace and read books, took a nap, and listened to music. It was an absolutely perfect last afternoon in London – the weather was beautiful, making it even better.
I had my last dinner in the center, did a little last minute shopping, then returned to organize myself for the journey home. Somehow I was able to squeeze all my souvenirs in my suitcase! And I made sure, keeping with tradition, to write my message to future occupants on my bunk bed.
I hate goodbyes. Especially when you have to do it 30+ times. But it isn’t really goodbye! We already have our reunion planned – Sister Miller says to plan for the Triple S – Second Saturday in September – and I can’t wait! But I am going to miss everyone so much! I know whenever I see someone on campus it will make my day. Anyway, I got through it, and finally walked down Palace Court for the last time.
We got to the airport via the Underground easily enough, and got checked in and through security without any problems. In fact, a few of the other students and I on the flight were upgraded to World Traveler Plus! It’s so great – our seats were a lot bigger. That’s really the only benefit, but it makes such a difference on a 10-hour flight to have leg room. Also, our section had a curtain so that made me feel pretty important.
It’s sad that it’s over, but I’m also SO EXCITED to finally be home! I had this surge of excitement as I looked at the moving map on the plane and realized we were flying over America. I’m sitting in the Dallas airport right now, and I have never appreciated garbage cans, toilet seat covers, fountain Diet Coke, People Magazine, and friendly people so much in my life! I love America and I love being home!!! (If being in the Dallas Airport makes me this happy, finally getting to Utah is going to blow my mind. I can’t wait!)
London couldn’t have ended on a better note. I did everything that I wanted to do and there was honestly never a bad or boring day, the whole trip, so I am entirely, 100% satisfied with my experience. More than satisfied – overwhelming thrilled by how wonderful it was. I LOVE YOU, LONDON!
My dear friend, Hillary Jones, summed it up better than I could:
The Round Pond
By: Hillary Ruth Jones
Tired, worn, and in need of a clue
A girl crossed The Pond to start life anew.
“The journey was long,” she said with a curse
Little did she know, it was only the first.
Her first discovery was another, smaller pond
Of which she would become awfully fond.
She lived, she laughed, and grew close with friends
“This time,” she thought, “I don’t wish to end.”
The girl’s eyes were opened in the months she was away
She learned to love in a whole new way.
Nevertheless, the time came for her to depart
And beside the Round Pond, the girl left her heart.
“I owe it all to this pond,” the girl said with a tear,
“For teaching me all that I now hold dear.”
As the edge of the pond goes round and round
So infinite was the love that she had found.
Just as the water reflects all of the light,
So would the girl for the rest of her life.
And like the ripples with their far-reaching effects,
The girl returned home, to have every success.
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