A much needed visit to Germany

I love Germany. When I'm asked what my favorite place is that I've visited it's of course very tough because I have enjoyed so many places! But, I will also make it a point to mention that I truly enjoy Germany with it's beautiful landscape, small villages, and wonderful people. My visit to celebrate Thanksgiving was just what I needed!

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Highlights included:

--Spending time with my aunt, of course

--A little relaxation in the form of sleeping in and a massage!

--Playing with my aunt's pets (2 cats - Chancey and Shelia and a dog - Charlie)

--Really yummy food - Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous, tapas, and German food

--The Dudeldorf Christmas market with Gluhwien (spiced wine) and really great stalls that weren't on top of each other but around the village in people's barns and garages!

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Sigh, and now it's back to reality. A busy week indeed! Extra lectures and a very big public sector strike all across the country. Class themes this week include 'Authoritarianism' in Politics, 'History Remembered, Recovered, Disputed' in Culture and Society and my first Arabic quiz! Plus it's almost December which seems unreal. I can't believe I've already been here for 2 months although it is amazing how you adapt and settle in to a routine in no time.

Chancey. A loving cat who loves attention!

Happy Thanksgiving

I think this is the first time ever I will not be spending Thanksgiving with my family in Iowa. That has been my holiday to 'go home' where we celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas all together.

This year, being in London it is harder (and much more expensive) to get home. I am very thankful to also have family in Europe! I am spending Thanksgiving with my aunt who lives in Germany. I love coming to visit and it's nice to spend time with her and be outside the city. I love the Germany countryside and how beautiful it is. I arrived yesterday and we flew over a wall of fog so thick it blanketed the crevices of the winding roads and filled the gaps between mountains. Once it burned off, it was a gorgeous day! Sunshin and warm weather which meant I didn't even need a jacket. Quite unusual for late November! Today is a relaxing day with Thanksgiving dinner this afternnon with my aunt's friend and daughter who is going to culinary school next year....should be amazing!

I will miss Black Friday though...as has been our tradition, we start relatively late (arrive by 7am) and a mall either Southpark in Moline or head to Iowa City and then are done by 11am and looking for lunch! I'm not about to go wait in line at Best Buy or Target and deal with the crazy crowds! Usually people don't make it to the malls until later, so I can get all of my shopping done fairly easily!

I am thankful for so much:

-Wonderful Family and Friends (all over the world!)

-The opportunity to go back to school and in London!

-That I'm feeling better! (I've been feeling unwell for awhile and am finally starting to feel normal again!)

-That I can spend the holiday with my aunt

-Among so many other things. :)

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday!

What happens when there's no Thanksgiving?

Well, Christmas comes November 1! That's what happens when there is nothing between Halloween and Christmas (although Christmas supplies started going up at stores before Halloween!). The lights went up on Oxford Street (a major shopping area) November 1 or 2 I believe. They are quite beautiful and the window displays are wonderful. It's just SO early. Haha

Such a beautiful day and great view of the London Eye and Big Ben

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day and I ended up stumbling upon a Christmas market on the South Bank of the River Thames. I was quite delighted to see the festive atmosphere. Everything from German bratwurst to gingerbread houses to a snowglobe with Santa that you could get your photo taken in; the market started off with a bang! There were a ton of people out and the market is right near the London Eye which was packed. Street performers lined the sidewalk with various acts. Some were much more successful than others...the breakdancers, the bubble guy and the guy juggling on needles definitely had a larger crowd than spiderman or the Viking.

Totally felt real

So many gingerbread houses

Of course there were carolers

Sweets galore!

Definitely a big crowd for the guy juggling on needles

Wreaths made of oranges and other good smelling things

Back to work

Hello Monday morning. :) It's always hard going back to work/school after a break. Last week being reading week meant no class, but it also means I'm halfway done with my first term! It's crazy how fast time flies. Now it's time to buckle down and focus again...

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Topics for this week include:

Comparative Politics: Gender and Politics

-----------an interesting article on our reading list was about female suicide bombers in Palestine

Culture and Society: Textual Authority and the Power of the Law

-----------articles focusing on apostasy in different Middle Eastern countries

History: Reform in Iran

----------or lack thereof under the Qajar rulers

Arabic: more work with verbs (can't wait!)

Kenwood House

I wanted to do something to end the week on Friday and something FREE sounded perfect. Kenwood House is located in Hampstead and right next to Hampstead Heath Park. It was a typical London day with mist and fog but a perfect setting to view the sprawling neoclassical mansion originally built in the 17th century. The Suffock Collection is quite impressive with works of art gracing every wall of each room. The library is stunning. One I can only dream of! The view of the property from the mansion is quite impressive. Wide open space leading down to a river. It's a little piece of greenery in a city full of buildings and exhaust fumes. And I loved it. It was so quiet and peaceful and like being back in nature! Don't get me wrong, I do love London, but it was certainly nice for an afternoon break.

Entrance to Kenwood House

The Library! My heaven

Another view of mansion

View from the mansion from the perspective above. Quite a backyard

Tree on the Kenwood property

Chicago in London

I love musicals. And being in London, so close to the West End (theatre district) is like heaven, especially when you can find student deals! The deal I found for Chicago was actually on Groupon...but you get the idea. Chicago opened at the Garrick Theatre earlier this week (I saw the show on 10 Nov) with America Ferrera as Roxie Hart and Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly.

From the moment the lights came up I was engaged. The singing was wonderful, the dancing was amazing, and the set/lighting were one of the best I've seen! Professional is the word that came to mind from the smallest hand placement to the interaction with and performance from the band. It was really nice to see a good show and be entertained. All of the actors have had a ridiculous amount of experience and it definitely showed.

I only had 2 issues....the guy's big head in front of me and the train station under us! But, neither of those can be helped and had nothing to do with the show which I really loved!

The scene was set in the lobby

Hampton Court Palace and Birthday Dinner

I haven't been feeling well for a couple of weeks and felt even less like doing anything that would require me to exert any type of energy. SO, I was so excited when I finally started to feel better this week. I'm in London! I want to explore! Especially since it's my birthday! (Wed 9 Nov) I decided to forgo the demonstrations in which thousands protest the rise of education costs in the
UK. The demonstration was tightly controlled by police with 4,000 on hand to maintain the peace. Education fees are set to triple which is ridiculous. Many Britons decided to go back to school this year so they could sneak in before the increase....and I don't blame them!

So, rather than stay in the city, I decided to get away to Hampton Court Palace. I started to watch The Tudors show before I left for London and really got in to it. Hampton Court was a great place to visit! I arrived after taking the underground tube to an overground train. The weather was fairly overcast, but cool and perfect for walking around.

Main Entrance to Hampton Court Palace

The palace, in Richmond upon Thames and right on the river, was given to King Henry VIII in 1529. It was originally built for Cardinal Wolsey who fell from the King’s graces. You can see the influence of Henry’s many wives prior to being beheaded! Not to be outdone by the French in
the next century, William III started a major expansion project which stopped when he ran out of money.

Fountain in Base Court. Now spouts water, but would've spouted wine

The palace is massive with Henry VIII, William III and Mary II, and Georgian apartments. Not to mention the stunning palace gardens. I can’t imagine having so many people in your home at one time…although you’d never have to do anything except socialize, although not even that if you didn’t want to! There were a series of rooms in which William III could become more and more secluded in which less people had access. If he wanted ultimate privacy, he went to his wife’s bed chambers, which by the way are magnificent. Long corridors, grand staircases, beautiful artwork and furniture; it’s like a mini city. Everything you needed right at your disposal.

The Bed Chambers

My weather luck changed when I went outside to wander the gardens. The sun came out and offered a beautiful backdrop to the well-kept English gardens. I would love to look out my window and have that view every single day. Unfortunately the tennis courts were closed for the season…although I did make my way through the maze to the center and back out again. I felt a bit like Harry Potter although without the demons and fog wafting about.

Views of the Palace from the Gardens

My birthday was certainly off to a wonderful start! It continued with a partial flat dinner (minus 1 flatmate who had to actually do school-related activities). We went to Jamie’s Italian, a Jamie Oliver restaurant. I had mushroom ravioli with a side of brussels complete with red wine and ricotta cheesecake, to share, for dessert. It was such a nice evening! I think I have my new go-to restaurant in London. I loved the atmosphere, very laid-back and active but with really good food. It’s been so interesting comparing lifestyles with my Asian flatmates. The topic of the evening was about living with your family as you get older. Both my parents (I am speaking for them) and I couldn't wait for me to move out. Me living on my own has certainly made our relationship much easier and closer. Sarah (from China) mentioned now that she's away from her parents they have started saying how much they miss her and want her to come home.

A lovely day indeed!!

Yummy!

Reema (one of my flatmates) and Me

Two of my flatmates, Sarah and Veronica

Birthday/Reading Week Extravaganza

I wanted to do something fun. To say I was excited to see the Michael Jackson Thriller Live show at the Lyric Theatre is an understatement. What more could I ask for than 2 1/2 hours of pure Michael Jackson greatness?

I was a little underwhelmed by the first number, ‘Jam.’ The choreography was just ‘eh’ and the performance seemed a little lackluster. But, I was not to be disappointed for long. Michael Jackson had such a long career that lasted decades and over many genre changes. The young guy who sang the parts in the Jackson 5 hits was quite a performer! He stole the show – charismatic, stage presence, a great voice and smooth dance moves. He definitely has a great career ahead of him.

The show progressed through the times and 4 main singers divided the songs. It seemed like a Tuesday night cast, not the starters, but the female singer among the guys stood out. She was incredible and had a great command of the stage. They got the crowd participating at a couple of points even though it was like pulling teeth…it was hard not to want to get up and dance though! In the second half of the show a few extra dancers appeared and a guy who sang some of
Michael’s famous songs like Smooth Criminal. He really stole the dance move show. Very Michaelesk. He had the hat tilt, white socks, and moon walk down.

The encore included Bad, Thriller, and ended with Black and White. It was quite a show! I left the theatre thoroughly pleased and in such a good mood just remembering all that Michael Jackson did throughout his life and for music. I remember one of my Arabic professors telling us that he learned English because of listening to Michael Jackson songs. He certainly is an icon and will never be forgotten.

Fall Leaves

Fall in London. The weather has finally changed and I haven't seen the sun recently...however, the leaves are still changing and create beautiful scenes like this one in Brunswick Square which is on my route to campus.

It's November!

I realize it's been a week since I've written...since I haven't been up to much, a couple of fun facts:

--Tickets are assigned seating (like a sporting event) at the movie theater and you can buy VIP tickets for the 'good' seats!

--You have to put a 1 pound deposit in a cart to use it at Sainsburys grocery store; fortunately you get it back when you return the cart.

--It gets dark at 4:30pm. Seriously.

--Guy Fawkes Night is more like a week-long celebration rather than a night...fireworks have been going off all week!

--A fake tan ban has been instituted on the rugby team, The Ospreys. Gavin Henson, a Welsh player and most recent Bachelor can't get his spray on anymore. http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/15190/7288840/Ospreys-impose-fake-tan-ban

Brighton and White Night/Halloween

I went on my first 'trip' to Brighton!! It's so easy to travel and just about an hour train ride to Brighton from London. This seaside town is best described as vibrant! My friend and former co-worker, Jessie lives there and invited me to come celebrate White Night, a festival commemorating the end of British Summer Time which also fell on the same weekend as Halloween this year. So, I got to make the most of my costume by wearing it again!

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I arrived early afternoon and Jessie and her boyfriend, Dan showed me around the main part of the city. There were so many people out and so much around: restaurants, shops, markets, graffiti! We stopped by a really cute vegetarian restaurant for an afternoon snack and my almond and lemon cake was amazingly fresh and refreshing!

Tea and Cake

One of many graffitied walls

The Pavillion

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Costumes on, we were ready to head out for White Night. There's a huge schedule of outdoor and indoor activities around the city which go on all night. After stopping by a friend's penthouse apartment overlooking the sea, our first stop was the aquarium which offered free entrance (normally about 7 or 8 pounds). It was actually pretty good and huge! Then we made our way through the Pavillion area walking among a TON of people. It was amazing how many people were out and about. We found a tent where they had dancing and then made our way to a gallery which had a DJ playing. As an American, I don't just carry around an open container of alcohol. But, apparently the laws are quite different here. So, people just go to the local convenience store and stock up (plus it's much cheaper!).

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I really really enjoyed going to Brighton. It was nice to get out of the craziness that is London and to see the Sea! I love water and love that it is so close. Although my long night out really made me quite tired...time to catch up on sleep especially since Reading Week is coming up next week! Literally, a week to do reading...catch up or get ahead! Although there were certainly be some fun activities to come.

Halloween...London Style

I think the best costume I saw was on the tube...this guy was dressed as an Australian (Crocodile Dundee style) but the part that made his costume was a blow up kangaroo! Apparently Halloween has been growing in popularity here in London; although I have to admit, it was kind of hard to determine if people were dressing up for the holiday or if that was just their style! Since Halloween was on a Monday, festivities were going on beginning Friday night. Stores even had quite a selection of Halloween decorations, candy and costumes. I had a great time at a house party on Friday evening to kick off the weekend!

Betsy and I all dressed up!

Love the Jack O' Lanterns!