Sarah's Attempt at Winning London

So, I wrote this right after my cruise, and thought I would include it in my summer/study adventures blog.  Can’t believe it’s now OCTOBER, and I was in London/Europe a few months ago.  It’s so weird how far away that feels.

So here goes my last post!

Cruise Pics: 

Album 1: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2095288017232.2105037.1096260392&type=1

Album 2: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2095403060108.2105042.1096260392&type=1

****Warning: This has been sporadically written from the past week and a half.  Some was written on day of, and some is me writing backwards.  Have fun with that, mwahahaha. LAST POSTS, LET’S GO!

Hi everyone! This is going to be my last post before I go to Barcelona and meet up with the fabulous Marci Ann, Jonathan Scott, and Elana Zamira for a Disney Cruise! I am still in shock that I am leaving London.  Honestly, I don’t think it will hit me until I land in Barcelona, and I just don’t know my way around anymore.  It’s really funny walking around London with my uncle and cousin, and I basically lead the way since I know my way around. Alright, I gotta get back on track and take you guys back a few days…

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10^TH, 2011 = MY 21^ST BIRTHDAY!

After a fabulous dinner with my lovely tres amigas (I’m prepping for Barcelona), I had to finish my paper… which of course didn’t happen.  I ended up ringing in the 21^st with my Pimms and Bachelor Pad along with Gretchen and Radhika by my side.  I got many wall posts from many friends saying that they “expect nothing less from me except raging and partying and having a grand ole time”.  Well, ya know, the riots kinda rained on my parade.  Or as many of you clever people said thinking you were so original, “GO OUT WITH A BANG ON YOUR BIRTHDAY”.  Funny, yet not funny.  Even though the riots were calming down, YEAH RIGHT WAS I GOING OUT AND RISKING MY PRECIOUS 21 YEAR OLD LIFE.  Sheesh.  As I walked out of the apartments, my room number was still on the security board.  I asked security why, and then they gave me a card from my mom that she sent to me from Philly!!!!! It was a great feeling to have a little extra birthday love in London from the homeland (well USA is kinda the homeland, right?) So in the morning, I went to Café Nero and got my free smoothie from my rewards card.  I was trying to schmooze with the lady and told her it was my 21^st birthday.  She then took another rewards card , stamped every spot, and said “free one on me, birthday girl!” What a great way to start the day.  In class, we watched the weirdest movie.  I could not even tell you what it was about or what it was called.  Sorry madre—I promise you’re still getting your money’s worth bahaha.  Then, Gretchen and I went to Benito’s and Ben’s for lunch.  After, we gave our group presentation.  It was glorious aka so boring.  I left class early to meet up with my Uncle Steven and Sophia who were back from their cruise all around Europe.  We walked to Buckingham, and then traveled to Covent Garden.  Obviously, I had to take them to Ben’s.  We ended up getting Wahaca for dinner—another Mexican place.  And it was DELICIOUS, as usual.  Great way to ring in the birthday.. margaritas, family, and good Mexican food.  We told our waitress that it was my 21^st birthday and how big of a deal it is in America.  She came back to our table and said, “What I’m about to tell you, you have no choice.  Pick one dessert, and I’m going to bring you a tequila shot.  It’s on me.” Those of you who know me, I have NEVER taken a tequila shot—for good reason.  And here I am, at my birthday dinner, while I just finished my dinner, about to take my first tequila shot with my Uncle Steven and my twelve year old cousin.  Sophia insisted on video taping the whole thing, and it ended up being hilarious after I watched it. I’d like to say I’m hard core, but this video proves otherwise.  I’ll post the video for you all to see and laugh at me.

We then made our way to Billy Elliot—- a gift from the Hattem family to me for my birthday! We had great seats in the middle, and the show truly blew me away.  It was very interesting to see a show that takes place in the U.K… in the U.K.! There accents were so thick that sometimes you couldn’t even understand what they were saying.  The dancing was unreal… my breath was taken away by like a twelve year old boy.  Creepy, but true.  There were like 15 kids in the production, and they were all such incredible dancers and actors.  It truly was a perfect treat on my birthday.  Of course, I came back to Stamford Street apartments, realizing that this would be my last night sleeping there.  Such a weird thought.  I made myself finish my paper that night since it was due the next afternoon.  People kept calling me on Skype because it was my birthday in the Eastern/Central time zone, but my birthday was done here—- I just wanted to finish my paper!!!! But, it was lovely talking to Grandma Lois, Poppy, Aunt Ileen, Mom, Dad, Elana, Sara Elster, Lori, Anna, Sarah Pila, Emma, and anyone else I’m forgetting on my birthday! Again, I’m so lucky to have such amazing friends and family surrounding me with so much love.  I cannot wait to celebrate my 21^st for reals in the STL!

Thursday, August 11

LAST DAY OF CLASS! Woke up, and watched two presentations.  How riveting.  The, Gretchen, Katie, Radhika, and I had our farewell lunch L We went to this really good chicken place, Nando’s, which happened to be right next to Wahaca.  I sadly said bye to Gretchen, bought Ben’s, and then said bye to Radhika & Katie.  It was really weird to say bye to them considering I don’t know when I will ever see these amazing people again.  But, we are hoping for a reunion in possibly MALIBU! I got back to my room and packed up my life in Stamford Street.  AKA took down like 45 pictures on my wall.  Then, my uncle and Sophia came to Waterloo Station, 45 minutes late… awkward, to help me move out.  Although I will not miss my box of a shower and my room that can literally only fit .083% of a person, I will still miss everything about King’s and the unbelievable summer that London gave me.  We came back to Marble Arch to the Park Lane Marriott, sneaking my bags in, and got ready to go see WICKED! My cousin and uncle waited two hours in front of the theater (from 8am-10am) to get front row tickets for 27 pounds.  I was just about to write “$27 pounds”, but then realized it’s an oxymoron.  I have NEVER sat front row to ANYTHING in my life, and it was truly breathtaking.  I was nervous that we weren’t going to see everything because we were so close, but the only thing that we did not see were Nessa Rose’s shoes towards the end when the house falls on her in Munchkinland.  This was my 4^th show that I saw in London (Legally Blonde, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliot, and Wicked), and it was my 3^rd time seeing Wicked.  But it was very different.  My whole family was surprised how much their accents really shined through during the performance.  It wasn’t “daaaancing through life”, it was “d-ah-ncing through life.” I kept laughing—very mature.  After the show, we went to the stagedoor and saw every single lead role! My uncle took pictures of me and Sophia with every actor/actress, so I will upload those when he e-mails them to me.  We came back to the hotel and crashed…. And now for my last day in London L

NEW BLOG POST

Friday, August 12^th

Unfortunately, I am now writing from over a week from this day—but I’ll try to recap most of my last day.  I woke up in the Park Lane Marriot right outside Green Park.  It was truly a picturesque way to leave London town.  My flight was around 4ish, so we woke up really early and went to as many of my favorite London places as possible.  I wanted to show my Uncle and cousin my top faves in London…in three hours.  So, we went to Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminister Abbey, 10 Downing Street = house of Prime Minister (some guard yelled at us… rude), Covent Garden (ONE LAST STOP AT BEN’S!), Trafalgar Square, and Leicester Square. Wow, that’s extremely overwhelming.  I also filmed as many DM video clips as possible (you will see this posted on my Facebook in a month or so), and then we ended up eating my last lunch at a traditional English pub.  I ordered my last Pimm’s… ahhhh it even hurts to type it now.  I then made it to Heathrow Airport via taxi and train to meet up with my family in Barcelona.  I can’t even believe that six weeks (well now seven weeks) have travelled by so quickly.  As much as I was nervous about going abroad or scared to not be in my comfort zone at Camp Ramah Darom, I would NEVER NEVER NEVER change my experience in a million years.  I am so blessed and fortunate to have had the experience to travel across Europe throughout my summer—so endless thanks go to my mom and dad.  Speaking of mom and dad, I landed in Barcelona around 8ish and was greeted by the warm, smiling faces of my family! It was sooooooo great to see them after six weeks, even though I have been away from home for nine weeks from camp and away from college (duh).  We made our way to the airport hotel and grabbed a quick dinner.  We kept telling story after story, even though they had read my blog and I had skyped with my sister almost every other day.  We went to bed early because the next morning we would leave for our DISNEY CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!

Disney Cruise 8/13-8/20:

First off, this post is NOT going to be as detailed as my London posts.  Just wanted to give you a quick taste of the last week.  This blog was supposed to be all about London, but hey—- I can’t say no to the blogging & this is a great scrapbook for me to print out when I finish!

For those of you who don’t know me that well, #1 SHAME ON YOU. LET’S HANG OUT MORE. #2 THE RUBIN FAMILY IS DISNEY CRAZED.  This was our 5^th cruise (probably 3^rd or 4^th on the Disney Magic), and we were upgraded to the GOLD CASTAWAY CLUB.  OOOHHH VIP.  OOOHHH IMPORTANT.  OOOHHH STATUS.  We took a bus to the dock, and there we saw it.  The beauty herself.  The Disney Magic.  Every time Elana and I pull up to Disney World/Land or Disney Cruise, we suddenly get VERY hyper active and SUPER excited.  We literally act like we’ve never done this before… I don’t know why, but it happens.  It was our first time doing this fancy shmancy Mediterranean itinerary.  Once we got on the ship, my mom dragged my sister to the Disney Vacation Club Members good bye party.  GOOD THING THAT THEY WENT—- MY MOM WON THE RAFFLE AKA $300!!!!!! This never happens to our family, and my dad and I almost didn’t believe them when they told us at dinner.  It was a PERFECT way to start the cruise! Also, my mom and Elana decorated my room with 21 birthday decorations.  When people passed our room, they laughed.  Some guy said that he thinks there is a kegger in my suite.  Another person said “What? She thinks she’s in Vegas?” so rude. Anyways, I can’t really spell the names of the exact ports that we went to, but I know the cities that we traveled to once we got to the ports.  I’ll give a quick synopsis of our days…

Cannes, France- So everyone told our family that we should go to Cannes because it is gorgeous.  Some people told me that it’s their favorite place in the world.  Well I know the fancy shmancy people go there, but I wasn’t that blown away.  It could’ve been that it was probably 29835239858923 degrees out or that most of the shops were closed since it was Sunday. It was pretty, and there were expensive stores—- I will say that.  We walked around, laid on the beach… pretty chill. 

Florence, Italy- I was super super excited to go to Florence.  Three of my fabulous Sam Foxian friends, Abby, Ariella, and Carmi, just studied abroad there over the summer and left about two weeks before I got there! Florence is also one of my parents’ favorite cities in the world, so I knew it had to be pretty impressive.  And of course it was.  We took a shuttle bus there and back, and had about six hours to run around and see as much as possible.  I’ve never been to a city like Florence—- so much culture and color just roaming around the city.  Also, I got my first gelato and first real Italian meal.  Cannot complain there! Overall, just an EXHAUSTING yet great, great, great day.

Rome, Italy- When in Rome, do like the Romans do.  And I think our family did just that.  We began in Vatican City…. And waited TWO HOURS to go see the Sistine Chapel.  My dad said that we had to get there early otherwise the line would be so long.  Well, when we left about four hours later, the line was probably 10% of what we had waited in.  Oh well.  After travelling through about 2398589235892369 rooms with 23985238959832 people and the temperature was about 329598235983295 degrees, we finally arrived at the Sistine Chapel.  Not gonna lie, Michelangelo, you took my breath away.  It is a completely different experience being in the room surrounded by all of the paintings versus sitting in Steinberg Hall seeing these images on slides.  WOW.  We then went to see the Pieta, the Colliseum, the Forum, and the Jewish Quarter.  I don’t think we even did like .5% of what is in Rome, but we ran around as much as we could.  Unfortunately, our train was late, so I missed the ONE Disney Magic stage performance that I have not seen.  I was pretty bummed, but I’m sure we’ll be on a cruise soon enough (even though I hadn’t been on a Disney cruise in 4 years).

Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii, Italy- This day was the most exhausting day by far, yet one of my favorites.  We did a Disney excursion, so our transportation and meals were paid for in advance.  We were in a group of about 30 and traveled with the most precious woman in the entire world named Antonella.  She wanted us to call her momma since she was our Italian momma for the day.  To remind us of her name, she was like “just think of Mozarella”.  So for the whole day, we all called her Momma Mozzarella.  Capri was the first island we travelled to after going by boat and cable car.  Up in the mountains, Capri really stands by itself as a unique and gorgeous city.  We were able to shop around for a little and see the high class Capri life.  I really wanted to buy Capri pants in Capri.  Elana says they just call them pants (BUH-DUH- CHHHHHH). Then, we travelled to Sorrento by boat to have a traditional like 98358923 course Italian meal.  The food is so fresh and delicious, it’s truly unbelievable.  Afterwards, even though we were basically falling asleep, our group went to Pompeii. I have heard about, seen pictures, and studied Pompeii, but seeing the city was just unreal.  I actually thought it reminded me of a theme park because everything seemed so old and intact.  Never in your dreams can you imagine something as horrific as the eruption happening; but now we see all of this old and ancient civilization, so it is a blessing for today’s society.  After the long and completely exhausting day, we sadly said bye to Momma Mozzarella and made our way back to the ship.  This night was PIRATES IN THE CARIBBEAN night.  Awkward because we were in the Mediterranean and not Caribbean.  Anyways, SPOILER ALERT: they put on a show on the deck, Mickey flies over the top deck, and then there is a fireworks show from the cruise.  Seriously, could not have been more magical/romantic.  Although I have seen it five times. I will post a video of all of this Disney “magic” (so punny) when I finish this post. Then, Elana and I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on the big screen on the top deck.  Great way to end our crazy day.

Day at Sea- Elana and I are always big fans of days at sea because we are not rushed and can do whatever we want.  Luckily, I was able to spend a lot of my time tanning in the sunshine.  We all know that going back to St. Louis makes me pale, so I had to get super tan before going back to the Lou! A great thing about going back on the ship is that I am now considered an adult and wandered around to all the adult programs.  First, Elana and I got to see our FAVORITE DISNEY CRUISE PERFORMERS—- Alfred & Seymour.  They come on the ship a lot (we have seen them like three times), and they are HILARIOUS.  They are very… um… not “Disney”, and literally call people out for about ANYTHING.  I LOVE THEM.  Then, I was able to go to another tour for adults only, which is hands down my favorite activity thus far on a Disney ship, called “Art of the Theme Ship Tour”.  The tour, led by this guy named TJ, was all about how imagineers designed the ship and gained inspiration.  I love behind the scenes tours and knowing how things were put together.  Additionally, if you do not know, my dream since I was like 5 years old was to work for Disney, especially to be part of one of the design teams for any department.  I asked so many questions that I think he thought I was testing him on his tour haha.  Some interesting facts that I learned from the tour…

-        The ship was made in two parts and glued together by life boat number 10.

-        There are 100 different types of carpet on the ship.  Most cruises have 10-12.

-        There are 7 different carpet changes when you walk from 9 aft to 5 aft.

-        Animal Kingdom has over 13,000 informational signs in the theme park.  There are over 27,000 informational signs on the Disney Magic ship.

-        Deck 5 is shorter than any other deck because that’s where all the kid spaces are.  The designers wanted the kids to feel comfortable in their own space.

Then, it was formal night, so Elana and I spruced it up a bit for our lovely dinner date (our parents went to the adult only restaurant, and since Elana is still considered a kid—- I didn’t go with my parents and had a date with my fabulous sissy).  Elana was super excited because the bar tenders offered her a free drink because she looks 21.  Lonzaloo, get over it, the drinking age in Europe is 18, and you are 3 months away from 18—- that’s why they offered you a drink. We also saw the award winning Disney show, “Disney Dreams”.  I think that I cry every time that I see it, and it is targeted for like little kids and families.  DISNEY, WHY DID YOU GET ME HOOKED SO YOUNG? You are just too good, Walt. 

Palma de Mallorca, Spain- This day was probably my favorite activity that we did on the whole cruise—and it only lasted three and a half hours.  Our family, along with eight other people, went on a biking tour of this tiny island.  We biked around 10 miles, so not too much, around the city while guided by a tour guide who stopped us at all of the monuments, squares, and landmarks of the city.  It was so nice to be active and not just feel gross after eating 298358923589 things at a buffet.  After the bike tour, we came back to the ship for a nice lunch, and then I was able to tan again.  After lunch, my mom, Elana, and I went to Disney Trivia.  And of course, we won.  Come on, we’re the Rubin family.  We’re Disney experts.  Here are some of the questions if you want to play along.  I’ll tell you the answers if you want:

1. Who was Hercules’ dad? Who is the villain in Hercucles”
2. What is the high school from High School Musical?
3. What are the names of the kids from Mary Poppins?
4. Who is the actress that plays the villain in Enchanted?
5. What two Disney movies feature music from Phil Collins?
6. What is the last name/surname (sup, I’m British) of Cinderella’s evil step mother and step sisters?
7. What is the name of the greedy governor in Poconahantas?
8. What was the name of Disney’s first full length animated feature and when was it made?
9. Who is Wall-E’s love interest?

CHAMPS!!!!!

If you don’t know the answers, GOOGLE.  Or just ask J It’ll spark up a lovely conversation of something that I love and can talk about for hours… Disney.  The trivia session was also led by TJ, the guy who gave me and mom the tour of the design of the ship.  We got there right on time at 2:00p.m., but they were already on question 12 of 15! So, he kept making fun of us… and then we won, so BOO YAH! Afterwards, he came and chatted with the three of us Rubin ladies about the Disney cruise.  Since we have been on five cruises, we are now more interested in the logistics, operations, and background behind the ship.  We’re beyond the glitz and glamor and magic (okay no I’m not haha).  Anyways, TJ is from Celebration, Florida, and he used to work in the parade of a million dreams at Magic Kingdom.  Embarrassing… my mom was like “isn’t that the 3pm parade?” and he looked at her like she was INSANE, because she was right bahahaha. We talked a lot about the training of cast members and transitioning and such.  It seems so much fun to work as a programmer to just hang around all day, but you literally work ALL DAY and get no rest.  He told us that he doesn’t have a day off for four months.  My mom left, and Elana and I talked with him some more, especially after he found out that I was 21 aka eligible to work for the company.  It seemed that he was really good at lying about how much he loves his job.  He was giving the same design tour that I kept bragging about to Elana, and Elana DRAGGED ME TO IT AGAIN.  Aka it was literally the same thing again with TJ.  I think he thought that we were following him, but then again, I think he was happy that us “youngsters” were around with him while he gave the tour to these other adults.  He came up and joked/flirted? with me before it started.  He’s like, “are you really here again? You’re going to make me nervous, and then I’m going to screw up.” And throughout the tour, I saw that he could not make eye contact with me unless he laughed.  I kept laughing… oh well.  We had our last family dinner in Animator’s Palate with our amazing dining staff, and then partied the rest of the night away in Rockin’ Bar D. 

Barcelona, Spain- We woke up in beautiful Barcelona, Spain (Baaaaaaathelona, Ethhpanyaaaa) and had to disembark the ship really early in the morning.  Of course, Elana was acting like a 2 year old and was basically crying that she had to get off the ship… even though that we know that we will probably be on another Disney cruise within the next 4 years.  We spent the day in Barcelona seeing La Sagrada Familia (a church that has been in construction since the 1800s), other Spanish buildings which I forgot the name of, Las Ramblas, and the Picasso Museum.  We got to see Picasso’s rendition of Las Medinas, his imitation of Velazquez’ piece.  This is one of my FAVORITES by Picasso, so I was really excited to see that.  Also afterwards, I went and got a crepe and got in a full on fight with the waitress—- for details, just ask.  And usually, I hate to fight over such stupid things, but I needed to give this lady a piece of my mind.  After, my dad was like, “Sarah, I could see how uncomfortable you were, but I’m glad you stood up for yourself.” Go team SKR.  I just had a quick dinner with my parents, quick phone call with Cor, and now I am in bed  about to go to sleep at 9:23 p.m. to wake up at 4:32 a.m. (I’ll snooze for 2 minutes, let’s be real) to go to the airport.  LUCKILY, I have a three hour layover in HEATHROW!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO LONDON TOWN, WE MEET AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll probably go on a mini shopping spree haha. 

So, if you made it all the way here, WOW Congratulations.  You deserve a cookie, as Elana would say.  Maybe I’ll bake some for people at the beginning of school with my pledge fam (maybe we’ll make this a pledge fam thing, Sar & Leora… we’ll be known as GODDESSES) and give them to people who say that they’ve read my blog? I don’t know, I’m kinda just rambling now.  Thanks for following along with my adventures.  I know that I started the blog mostly because I knew that all the abroad kids did it, but I’m so glad that I actually kept up with it to a. entertain my friends b. inform my family and c. keep a journal of my incredible adventures in London.  I’d like to say that I pretty much am and always will be winning London J

And when in doubt, just think of Ben.  Ben’s Cookies.  Big Ben.  Ben and Jerrys.  And Ben F. from the Bachelor. 

Keepin’ calm and carryin’ on to St. Lou for Junior Year,

Sarah Kayla Rubin

Friday, August 12^th

Unfortunately, I am now writing from over a week from this day—but I’ll try to recap most of my last day.  I woke up in the Park Lane Marriot right outside Green Park.  It was truly a picturesque way to leave London town.  My flight was around 4ish, so we woke up really early and went to as many of my favorite London places as possible.  I wanted to show my Uncle and cousin my top faves in London…in three hours.  So, we went to Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminister Abbey, 10 Downing Street = house of Prime Minister (some guard yelled at us… rude), Covent Garden (ONE LAST STOP AT BEN’S!), Trafalgar Square, and Leicester Square. Wow, that’s extremely overwhelming.  I also filmed as many DM video clips as possible (you will see this posted on my Facebook in a month or so), and then we ended up eating my last lunch at a traditional English pub.  I ordered my last Pimm’s… ahhhh it even hurts to type it now.  I then made it to Heathrow Airport via taxi and train to meet up with my family in Barcelona.  I can’t even believe that six weeks (well now seven weeks) have travelled by so quickly.  As much as I was nervous about going abroad or scared to not be in my comfort zone at Camp Ramah Darom, I would NEVER NEVER NEVER change my experience in a million years.  I am so blessed and fortunate to have had the experience to travel across Europe throughout my summer—so endless thanks go to my mom and dad.  Speaking of mom and dad, I landed in Barcelona around 8ish and was greeted by the warm, smiling faces of my family! It was sooooooo great to see them after six weeks, even though I have been away from home for nine weeks from camp and away from college (duh).  We made our way to the airport hotel and grabbed a quick dinner.  We kept telling story after story, even though they had read my blog and I had skyped with my sister almost every other day.  We went to bed early because the next morning we would leave for our DISNEY CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!

Counting down Olympics with Soph

LAST BEN’S!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

LAST PIMMS. BYE LONDONNNNNNNNNNN

****Warning: This has been sporadically written from the past week and a half.  Some was written on day of, and some is me writing backwards.  Have fun with that, mwahahaha. LAST POSTS, LET’S GO!

Hi everyone! This is going to be my last post before I go to Barcelona and meet up with the fabulous Marci Ann, Jonathan Scott, and Elana Zamira for a Disney Cruise! I am still in shock that I am leaving London.  Honestly, I don’t think it will hit me until I land in Barcelona, and I just don’t know my way around anymore.  It’s really funny walking around London with my uncle and cousin, and I basically lead the way since I know my way around. Alright, I gotta get back on track and take you guys back a few days…

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10^TH, 2011 = MY 21^ST BIRTHDAY!

After a fabulous dinner with my lovely tres amigas (I’m prepping for Barcelona), I had to finish my paper… which of course didn’t happen.  I ended up ringing in the 21^st with my Pimms and Bachelor Pad along with Gretchen and Radhika by my side.  I got many wall posts from many friends saying that they “expect nothing less from me except raging and partying and having a grand ole time”.  Well, ya know, the riots kinda rained on my parade.  Or as many of you clever people said thinking you were so original, “GO OUT WITH A BANG ON YOUR BIRTHDAY”.  Funny, yet not funny.  Even though the riots were calming down, YEAH RIGHT WAS I GOING OUT AND RISKING MY PRECIOUS 21 YEAR OLD LIFE.  Sheesh.  As I walked out of the apartments, my room number was still on the security board.  I asked security why, and then they gave me a card from my mom that she sent to me from Philly!!!!! It was a great feeling to have a little extra birthday love in London from the homeland (well USA is kinda the homeland, right?) So in the morning, I went to Café Nero and got my free smoothie from my rewards card.  I was trying to schmooze with the lady and told her it was my 21^st birthday.  She then took another rewards card , stamped every spot, and said “free one on me, birthday girl!” What a great way to start the day.  In class, we watched the weirdest movie.  I could not even tell you what it was about or what it was called.  Sorry madre—I promise you’re still getting your money’s worth bahaha.  Then, Gretchen and I went to Benito’s and Ben’s for lunch.  After, we gave our group presentation.  It was glorious aka so boring.  I left class early to meet up with my Uncle Steven and Sophia who were back from their cruise all around Europe.  We walked to Buckingham, and then traveled to Covent Garden.  Obviously, I had to take them to Ben’s.  We ended up getting Wahaca for dinner—another Mexican place.  And it was DELICIOUS, as usual.  Great way to ring in the birthday.. margaritas, family, and good Mexican food.  We told our waitress that it was my 21^st birthday and how big of a deal it is in America.  She came back to our table and said, “What I’m about to tell you, you have no choice.  Pick one dessert, and I’m going to bring you a tequila shot.  It’s on me.” Those of you who know me, I have NEVER taken a tequila shot—for good reason.  And here I am, at my birthday dinner, while I just finished my dinner, about to take my first tequila shot with my Uncle Steven and my twelve year old cousin.  Sophia insisted on video taping the whole thing, and it ended up being hilarious after I watched it. I’d like to say I’m hard core, but this video proves otherwise.  I’ll post the video for you all to see and laugh at me.

We then made our way to Billy Elliot—- a gift from the Hattem family to me for my birthday! We had great seats in the middle, and the show truly blew me away.  It was very interesting to see a show that takes place in the U.K… in the U.K.! There accents were so thick that sometimes you couldn’t even understand what they were saying.  The dancing was unreal… my breath was taken away by like a twelve year old boy.  Creepy, but true.  There were like 15 kids in the production, and they were all such incredible dancers and actors.  It truly was a perfect treat on my birthday.  Of course, I came back to Stamford Street apartments, realizing that this would be my last night sleeping there.  Such a weird thought.  I made myself finish my paper that night since it was due the next afternoon.  People kept calling me on Skype because it was my birthday in the Eastern/Central time zone, but my birthday was done here—- I just wanted to finish my paper!!!! But, it was lovely talking to Grandma Lois, Poppy, Aunt Ileen, Mom, Dad, Elana, Sara Elster, Lori, Anna, Sarah Pila, Emma, and anyone else I’m forgetting on my birthday! Again, I’m so lucky to have such amazing friends and family surrounding me with so much love.  I cannot wait to celebrate my 21^st for reals in the STL!

BIRTHDAY WOOOOOOOOOO

Birthday Tequila shot… thanks wahaca

Thursday, August 11

LAST DAY OF CLASS! Woke up, and watched two presentations.  How riveting.  The, Gretchen, Katie, Radhika, and I had our farewell lunch L We went to this really good chicken place, Nando’s, which happened to be right next to Wahaca.  I sadly said bye to Gretchen, bought Ben’s, and then said bye to Radhika & Katie.  It was really weird to say bye to them considering I don’t know when I will ever see these amazing people again.  But, we are hoping for a reunion in possibly MALIBU! I got back to my room and packed up my life in Stamford Street.  AKA took down like 45 pictures on my wall.  Then, my uncle and Sophia came to Waterloo Station, 45 minutes late… awkward, to help me move out.  Although I will not miss my box of a shower and my room that can literally only fit .083% of a person, I will still miss everything about King’s and the unbelievable summer that London gave me.  We came back to Marble Arch to the Park Lane Marriott, sneaking my bags in, and got ready to go see WICKED! My cousin and uncle waited two hours in front of the theater (from 8am-10am) to get front row tickets for 27 pounds.  I was just about to write “$27 pounds”, but then realized it’s an oxymoron.  I have NEVER sat front row to ANYTHING in my life, and it was truly breathtaking.  I was nervous that we weren’t going to see everything because we were so close, but the only thing that we did not see were Nessa Rose’s shoes towards the end when the house falls on her in Munchkinland.  This was my 4^th show that I saw in London (Legally Blonde, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliot, and Wicked), and it was my 3^rd time seeing Wicked.  But it was very different.  My whole family was surprised how much their accents really shined through during the performance.  It wasn’t “daaaancing through life”, it was “d-ah-ncing through life.” I kept laughing—very mature.  After the show, we went to the stagedoor and saw every single lead role! My uncle took pictures of me and Sophia with every actor/actress, so I will upload those when he e-mails them to me.  We came back to the hotel and crashed…. And now for my last day in London L

FRONT ROW!

Soph, Elphaba, and Meeee!

Hello all, as I write this there are currently ONE HOUR AND 14 MINUTES until my 21st birthday! However, those reading this in the US of A… there are 6 (or 7, if you are in the middle of america… awkward) hours and 14 minutes until my birthday!!!!

Today in class, we talked about Swinging London.  Then, we watched the movie Alfie. The movie started and ended on Waterloo Bridge, which is where I walk to class every day.  Now that we are moving into more contemporary films aka for the last 3 days, it’s very cool to see “my London” within these movies.  My dad told me that my Poppa Earl loved this movie, so I thought about how his wacky self would have loved this movie about Michael Caine and his scandolous love life.  I really liked the movie, especially because it reminded me of my grandfather.

In the afternoon, we went around in a circle (literally I felt like I was 5) and talked about our favorite parts of the Museum of London.  Everyone in my class knew that I had taken a class about the museum before, so they were very interested in what I had to say.  I just took this time to basically discuss the research of my two fave exhibits, LDN24 and Capital Concerns.  Good times.  I came back home, and then Radhika, Katie, Gretchen, and I went to a Mexican restaurant (siimilar to Chipotle, how surprising) to celebrate my 21st! WOOOOOOOO! They paid for my dinner, and it was completely unnecessary and adorable.  I also recieved not one, but TWO gift cards to Ben’s (my main man, who never lets me down)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was literally the nicest thing ever, and I am so so so so so lucky to have met such amazing people on my program.

My main girl Radhz and my main man BEN!!!!

DOUBLE BEN’S = BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENTS EVER!!!!!! and duh, owls.

We came back to Stamford Street and saw my flat number on the security board.  The security board ais a white erase board that has a list of flats that need to go see the security table each day.  Every day I look at it and think why on earth would my name be there—- and it’s not. BUT TODAY was different!! Radhika was like, “Sarah, isn’t that your flat?” And of course, the thought of me getting in trouble freaked me out (I thought they had discovered that I successfully swiped Nick Brown in here for a weekend)! Then, I thought that it was the pound they owed me for getting my money stuck in the vending machine.

49B FOR LIFEEEEEE.

I came home, skyped with Anna for a while, then skyped with my lovely mother. To my surprise, Caroline wrote happy birthday on my wall because it is my birthday in New Zealand! HOW CRAZY!!!!! Anyways, now I am finishing up my paper because my birthday is so soon and I want to have no work for my last three days here! Also, because I get to spend time with my family so soon!!!! And possibly see another show— trifecta sounds nice to me!

Also, if you haven’t heard, there have been riots in and around parts of London.  They started a couple days ago in East London, but are spreading throughout all parts of the area.  It started when a man got shot by a police officer in a cab, and then youth revolts started.  These revolts were mad—- buildings were on fire and people were looting and robbing stores.  Stores and pubs were broken into— it was just a MESS. I am doing fine and am safe and sound in my room (another reason why I am not RAGING for my 21st birthday in London haha). Some riots have ocured in central London and areas 15 minutes away from me (in news reports, if you see Lambeth, that’s very close to where I am living.  I live on the border of Lambeth and London). Things seem to be calming down now, but obviously, I will be on edge until I leave.  But, I am being very cautious and keeping up with news reports.  I am sure London will eventually “Keep Calm & Carry On” once this craziness comes to an end.

Lastly, I am definitely giving a shout out to my future suitemate, Sarah Samborn, who Facebook chats me every time she is online saying “HI I CAN’T WAIT TO LIVE WITH YOU. I MISS YOU. I LOVE YOU. GIVE ME A SHOUT OUT.” Thought this would be a good time :)

Oh and hello to all my fabulous PC10 Sara(h)s as well! Can’t wait to be reunited :)

COUNTDOWN TO 21: 1 HOUR!!!!!

BAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Wah, a day behind when I was trying to be super chill this weekend so I could write my paper! But, Kings decided to be super cool aka NOT COOL AT ALL, and our internet was out yesterday :( I also have to stop being extremely addicted to Big Brother.

Sunday, August 7th

Well, before I get into my daily routine, I was up until 4am the day before aka this Sunday watching Ramah Darom Havdallah LIVE STREAMED! I fell asleep at 2am, and then Anna’s skype call woke me up.  We skyped throughout the entire live stream, and both of us were giving a full on commentary.  And if you know me and/or Anna, it was pretty funny/nostalgic. Anyways, every time that we saw someone we knew we literally SCREAMED at the computer haha.  There were some very special appearance by some of our faves at camp, and it was just really special to watch all the way from London.  It made me realize how much camp had an impact on my childhood and how I missed my Jew vibe in my life.  That will definitely change come September.

Anyways, if you missed the live stream or want to see what my camp’s Havdallah is like (even though you can’t hear everyone singing together which is probably the best part), check it out: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16483727

Annz, don’t kill me for this. You look GREAT. But yayayaya RAMAH DAROM LIVESTREAM!

To get my Jew on, I was planning on going to the Jewish Museum in London in the morning before I met my friends for London adventures.  But, I went to bed at 4:00 a.m. and woke up at 11:30 a.m., so that was out of the picture.  Hopefully, I can go to the museum with my Uncle Steven & Sophia when I see them in two days on my birthday! Radhika and I made our way to Hyde Park to go get tea in dresses (ONE OF THE LAST THINGS ON MY BUCKET LIST!). When we left, it could not have been a prettier London summer day.  When we got off the tube, it could not have been an uglier London summer day.  Classic London JUST LIKE STL. Radhika was freaking out like there was no tomorrow (love you girl, but you were pissed off—- and I told you that I’d write that in my blog hahaha). We walked around Hyde Park for a little and witnessed a triathlon! They were at the bike portion which was very ironic because my dad was finishing the Pan Mass bike race in Boston! 

Fairy tale world in London—- basically, I’m in Enchanted

Hyde Park!

We got to the cafe, and it was super crowded/still gross outside with no tea.  Sad sad day. We then made our way out of the park since I was still super motivated to get tea in a dress.  I know this may seem like the dumbest thing ever, but I really really wanted to.  My magnetic forces of shopping dragged me into Harrod’s, and Radhika and I “happened to stumble upon” La Duree, the most magical fairy tale like, yet Parisian, lunch cafe place in the world.  I was able to get my afternoon tea and had two croissants the size of Africa.  

Cheers—- it’s tea time!

Being a Harrod’s mannequin, obviously this is normal behavior. 

Radhika and I then met Katie at the O2 Stadium in North Greenwich to go to the British Music Experience exhibit! Background story—- I saw that Ezra Margolin, an old USY pal, went to London on Facebook, and I looked through his pictures to see SPICE GIRLS AND COLDPLAY memorabilia.  I wanted to go, so he told me where— and boom, it’s Sunday night.  Now that I’m basically a connoisseur of museums, I believe that this exhibit was extremely successful in sharing the history of British popular music from 1940s-Today. The exhibit was very interactive and digital… aka EXPENSIVE TO MAKE.  But, I enjoyed it— especially since the ticket guy gave the three of us children tickets :)

A pair of John Lennon glasses

Spice Girls costumes from their Reunion Tour!!!!!!!!! AKA HEAVEN.

Amy Winehouse’s vintage dress :( RIP AMY

Adele’s set list

After the museum, we walked around the arena to find tons of cute restaurants and just a really cool vibe in a stadium.  We got Mexican food (obviously) and made our way back to Stamford Street apartments WITH NO INTERNET. I was super determined to finish my project, so I went and sat in the security lounge area with wireless internet and finished up my presentation. Then, it was an early night to bed for my LAST WEEK OF CLASSES!

Monday, August 8th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA!!!

This morning, Gretchen and I made our way to the British Museum (15 minutes late.. awkward) to meet our class.  We spent a lot of time in the Enlightenment room, filled with 289357293857932698 artifacts from this time era.  This was the kind of experience in which I feel entirely overwhelmed by knowledge, information, or materials, so I just want to leave.  Immediately.  Similar to an experience at Primark, Forever 21, or the mall on Black Friday.  Yes I know those aren’t educational metaphors.  Go with it.  Our tutor actually works at the British museum within the private libraries, so he took us on a tour of them and lectured us about movies that were filmed at the British Museum. We went through a secret passageway and ended up opening a secret door that was into the Enlightenment exhibit that we were in before! The door from the outside looks like an exhibit case with books— it was soooooooooooo stealthy.  I liked it.  

British Museum dome. HUGE.

Outside of the British Museum

Gretchen and I went to Pizza Express and then made our way to THE MUSEUM OF LONDON WITH OUR CLASS!!!!!!!! Aka home sweet home, if you have been following my blogs! Our teacher knew that Gretchen, Iris, and I had already been there (well, this was now my 10th time there!), so he kinda let us do our own thing.  AKA we left after 15 minutes being there hahaha. 

Now, I’m sitting in my room—- almost motivated to write my paper after I finish Big Brother, Season 12 haha.  I leave in 4 days- unreal. BUT, I get to see my uncle and cousin in 2 days, and I am so so so SO excited!!!!!!! I can’t believe that summer is dwindling down… some of my friends are even at their respective schools… PREPARING FOR RUSH AND WHAT NOT (sup Rach & UF AEPhi.  LML ATDT). I hope everyone has enjoyed their summers as much as I have.  WUSTL- I cannot wait to see you so so so soon and celebrate my 21st with all of you crazy cats! AND I’M SO PUMPED FOR MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR: LEADING WASH U STYLE PREO. HOW DO WE LEAD???? WASH U STYLE. 

And Gesher 2011, if any of you are reading this, WELCOME HOME (well your second home) and welcome to the alumni life of Ramah Darom. I can’t wait to stalk your pictures and hear about your summer!

And now for some shout outs…

RICHARD- your e-mail was delirious.  And of course I appreciate that to the fullest.  I cannot wait to see you so so so so SOON!!!!!!!

RACHAEL- your e-mail was actually the funniest thing that I have ever read. Your commentary is SOOOOOOOOO YOU. And I can’t wait to get my Jew on with you next year :)

BECCA- Happy 23rd!!!!!!!! I absolutely cannot wait to see you on August 25th (thank goodness our paths will cross) to celebrate our birthdays.  Thanks for everything throughout the past two years and know that I love love love you to the moon and back!

COUNTDOWN TO 21: 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Helllllllllllo, blog followers.  I cannot believe that this is my last weekend in London!!!! Time has flown by WAY WAY WAY too fast, but I guess that means I’ve been having an okay time.  And by okay, I mean TIME OF MY LIFE. Although my parents do not want to hear this, I have just been running around like a crazy person trying to finish all of my bucket list as soon as I can- aka I have not done like any school work.  So, it kinda sucks that I have to write a paper still, but it’ll get done.  Anyways, I know none of you care about that, and I’m just writing stream of consciousness…

Friday, August 5th

Originally, Radhika and I were going to go to Stonehenge/Bath.  Then, we were going to go to Cambridge. Then, we got lazy and cheap, so we just decided to romp around London (and Radhika was in a romper… HOW FUNNY). Another interesting fact about this day: WE HAD NO PLAN.  I am usually a planner and sometimes get anxious when there is no plan for a day since I want to get everything done.  Radhika showed me what it was like to live in care-free London, and I kinda am digging her style.  We traveled all the way to South Kensington aka not that far to go to the V&A Museum! I have been told that this museum is the best art and design museum in the world… aka that’s what it says outside the museum.  Not gonna lie— I wasn’t that impressed. I was expecting a lot more modern pieces, and it was filled with classical sculptures from all over the world.  Don’t get me wrong- the museum is great, it just wasn’t my style.  Radhika and I did see the modern room, and it reminded me a lot of the furniture display in the Philly Art Museum that I saw when I went with Jacob Lenardo and my dad.  It’s so funny how an apple macintosh old school computer is now part of a design museum. 

YAY COMM DES!!!! SUP ARIELLA & PAULY ROTH?

In the middle of the museum space, there is a giant play pool thing? outside where people can just sit and have a picnic.  Don’t worry, Radhika and I literally spent an hour just playing in the water as well as tanning.  Yes, I can finally get my tan back because London has sun! It actually has been pretty sunny/hot recently and has only rained once in the past three weeks— how magical. It was a gorgeous day, and I could’ve stayed outside forever—- however, I had to romp to Covent Garden aka my fave place in da world, so we left.  

I never wanna grow up

On our way to Covent Garden, Radhika and I decided to stop at the natural history museum.  Why not? We saw there was a DINOSAUR exhibit and got really excited. Then, we saw that we had to pay six pounds so we PEACED OUT.  We are such students.  Anyways, we made it to Covent Garden with no plan.  We walked around for a while, maybe got Ben’s, and then decided to check out the Lion King for tickets.  To our glorious happiness of joy, the only tickets that were available were like 80 pounds, and they didn’t accept student discounts.  BOO YOU LION KING.  We then walked around more and found a half price ticket place.  We gave it a shot and ended up walking out with tickets for that night for 22.5 pounds to JERSEY BOYS!!!!!!! I had always wanted to see this show, and I knew Rachel Kasten would be so proud haha.  Then, Radzypoo (I’m getting sick of typing Radhika out every time hahaha) and I decided that we wanted Mexican food (what a surprise), so we ended up having a nice drink as well as chips & guac.  Nothing could get better.  We met up with Gretchen and then enjoyed a lovely night at the theater.  I came back to my room afterwards to relax since I haven’t feeling so hot lately and woke up early this morning for more adventures!

Oh what a night! 

Saturday, August 6th

After I was not that impressed with the V & A museum, Gretchen told me that there was a whole area with costumes and stuff from the theater! I was so upset that I missed out on seeing this stuff, so I woke up early this morning and headed back to the V & A museum.  I saw lots and lots of costumes and famous play random paraphernalia.  I also was able to see a behind the scenes video of Wicked in London!

One of Mick Jagger’s stage costumes

Scar and Sarabi’s costumes from the Lion King in the West End!

Chris Martin’s (from Coldplay) outfit from Viva la Vida!!!!!!

While I was walking through the Christian art section in the museum, I found a little area with Jewish artifacts! YAYAYA TRIBE!

After the museum, I met Gretchen at Waterloo station, and we made our way to Windsor!!! We were able to tour Windsor Tower, the oldest and largest palace that still is “living” today.  It has been used for over 900 years. We were able to see Mary’s doll house that she made in the 1920s made with mini paintings by famous artists as well as real silver for plates and silverware.  Then, we toured the staterooms of the palace.  BP (Buckingham Palace, we’re on nickname basis) is still my favorite, but Windsor is definitely a close second.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any pictures, but it was gorgeous.  ”Click, I took a mental image. Don’t you just love life?”—- who can name who said that on what show/movie?

The lovely Windsor weather and the CASTLE!!!!!!!

Home sweet home at Windsor :)

Straight out of a fairy tale

Just posin’ with my new home

Sup, buddy!!!!

After touring the castle, Gretchen and I went to see her sister’s boyfriend who works in Windsor.  Then, we saw the path that HM the Q (Elizabeth II) takes to get to the palace.  It’s her home, and she’s usually there on weekends—- so I was HOPING to see her.  That is part of my bucket list, and I’m trying to stay optimistic! Gretchen and I then walked along the river which was just so peaceful and relaxing.  We walked to Eton College, where the Princes went to school! It was closed for tours, but we had to peak in!

Enjoying Windsor with an ice cream!

Kinda Wash U like? But royalty attends there?

We made our way back to London, and I just had a lovely skype session with the one, the only, Anna Epstein who secretly wishes she had 2935832598 more shout outs.  AND, Anna had the closest guess to how much my Harrod’s milkshake cost. She guessed 8 pounds— and the correct answer is 8.75 pounds!!! Aka that is like $14.  I am crazy.

BTW, Annz— there are 401 pictures of us tagged on Facebook together. That is slightly nauseating, but I like it.

ALERT TO ALL WHO KNOW ME REALLY REALLY WELL: I finally decided to start reading the last Harry Potter book!!!!!!!! And in one day, I’m on page 218! Elana Nev Longbottom, BE A PROUD SISTER!

I am going to stay up until 2:30 a.m. to watch Camp Ramah Darom’s live streaming of the last Havdallah at camp (9:30 p.m. EST, 8:30 p.m. CST—- camp/central standard time). Maybe I’ll actually get some work done in between… 

COUNTDOWN TO 21: 4!!!!!!!!!!

All my lovin from London to you, SAR!

Hi everyone! Before I talk about today (not much excitement, no pics), I forgot one thing about yesterday…

- Gretchen and I witnessed a fight at the Wesminister tube station right next to the Northbound Jubilee line.  A woman with a stroller was trying to get on, and some crazy lady was trying to get off.  The woman’s husband and baby were already on the tube, and the crazy lady was charging right at the woman with the stroller. It was so dumb, and they started yelling at each other.. than the husband got involved and then the crazy lady started PUNCHING THE HUSBAND WHO WAS HOLDING THE CHILD. Geeze, people are crazy.  Also, a mom (and her friend) with four little girls got separated because all this craziness was happening at the same time.  Then all the girls started crying, and the mom was going insane. Oh goodness.

and… HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, our class met at the BFI (British Film Institute) on the Southbank.  We got to go to the Mediatheque which is a room with computers that hold databases of thousands of movies.  Our teacher basically let us to do whatever we wanted to research film.  Naturally, Gretchen and I searched “Friends episode in London”, “Harry Potter”, and “The Beatles”.  Bahahahaha, too bad none of that really showed up, except for a 4minute Beatles clip. We watched a documentary about Swinging London, and then found a documentary about MY BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDING.  HEY MICHAEL OFFERMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the afternoon class, we talked about what we watched at the BFI and then watched a movie called The End of the Affair.  AKA watching Voldemort do the dirty about 298359382598 times.  Pretty awkward.  All in all, I would definitely reccommend this movie— reminded me of The Notebook, kinda.  But British/war-like combined.

After class, I made my way to the University of London Union to buy a Univ of London sweatshirt (King’s College is a part of the Univ of London) since all the King’s ones are hella ugly! No offense, King’s.  Then, I met up with Radhika and Katie to get tapas! Yummy!!!!

I came home and had an e-mail from Michelle Goldenberg asking me to write a letter to Gesher 2011 for their banquet.  If any of you end up reading this, I sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo wish more than anything that I could be at your banquet at camp.  I can’t believe my little nachsho babies are finally finishing their Gesher summer!!!! It’s just so unreal how time flies.  Then by the luck of the draw, Cor shmor happened to be on Facebook chat and able to talk to me for the first time in like a month (awkward because I’ve been in London for a month…), and it was nice to catch up with da bestiecakes. Then, I skyped with da fam, and now I’m watching Big Brother (although I still think it’s a little crazy/not worth my time).  Also, I need to stop spending my life stalking JP and Ashley.  I’m actually obsessed with them, it’s kinda ridic.

In greater news, I got an indirect shout out in the National Museum of American Jewish History e-newsletter this month! They are now starting a formalized intern program at the museum and said that previous interns come from the following universities…. and they mentioned Wash U aka THAT LITTLE STATISTIC IS ME. GOOOOOOOOOOO SKR! From talking to their staff, I think that they realized interns can be super beneficial and time savers for them, so they decided to make a program for it.  Yay experience at museums!

“Westminister Abbey… more like Westminister crabby!” is a line from the TV show FRIENDS!!!!! DUHHHHHHHHHHH!

Congrats goes to…

Elana “Neville Longbottom” Rubin

Sara “we talk every day but I know you desire shout outs in my blog more than you enjoy talking to me on the train” Elster

Ali “probs my number one fan” Truwit

Still looking for guesses on how much my Reeses milkshake cost at Harrod’s…. 

COUNTDOWN: 6 TIL 21

Well on this lovely August 3rd, I have seem to come down with some sort of gyps disease.  I think that I may have a fever… THE BIEBER FEVER. No but seriously, I think I have a fever hahaha. Guess I’ve just been playing too much for too long? There’s no such thing as too much though :) Kidding. As my beautiful baby Sarah Elizabeth Gallo just told me, “it looks like you’re having fun and going crazy every night. it’s okay to take a breather.” So that I will do. But of course, the festivities just continued today…

Today, our class met at the Imperial War Museum between Lambeth North and Waterloo. We were able to roam around the museum for two hours while focusing on World War 2 and the Blitz in London.  They had an immersive exhibit in which you felt like you were in a shelter and then walked on a destroyed London road after a bomb. The beginning was pitch black, and I was clinging onto Gretchen for dear life because I was so scared.  What can I say—- I’m a little child at heart.  After we saw this exhibit, Gretchen and I kinda ditched the London Blitz experience and spent the rest of our time on level 3.  Level 3 was an entire exhibit all about the Holocaust.  I was very nervous/excited to see this exhibit because I’ve never been in a history museum that wasn’t in USA or Israel.  Also outside the exhibit, it said that kids younger than 14 weren’t allowed inside, so I knew it was going to be super sensory.  I was very impressed by the exhibit as a whole—- LOTS AND LOTS of graphic images but very important information was shared with the audience.  There was a lot about the British being super helpful to Jewish children and bringing them into their homes gratefully… which I thought was a stretch since England wasn’t that friendly to Jews at the time.  There was an old siddur in an exhibit case turned to the Sh’ma, and I started reading the whole thing to myself.  This is going to sound sooooooooo weird, but I really took for granted my whole Jewish environment at Ramah and Israel the past 8 summers. Here in London, I have been seeing so many churches, which don’t get me wrong, are AMAZING, but it’s not what I connect to exactly.  Just reading the entire Sh’ma at this exhibit to myself made me really miss my whole Jewish life which I kinda have departed from at Wash U (not going to Shabbat dinners, not being super involved in Hillel anymore, etc).  So, yeah, I re-connected with my Judaism and that was super awesome.  Seriously, it was.

After the museum, Radhika, Katie, Gretchen, and I rendezvoused to Covent Garden (New Row, obvs) to grab some Mexican food for lunch.  Then, I bought 4 books.  YES YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY. I BOUGHT BOOKS FOR MYSELF! I’m growing up to be an intellectual—- who would’ve guessed. In our afternoon class, we talked about the exhibits and then watched a comedy, Passport to Pimlico.  It was funny and cute, but at this time of the day when my other friends have their classes cancelled, I’m ready to leave haha. Gretchen and I then waited 30 minutes in HOT British weather (I actually get tan when I go outside. It’s a miracle again) to get a tour of Westminister Abbey! We had to pay 13 pounds (blahhhhhhhhhh I hate paying for things. Normal). We got audio tours and were able to walk around the whole Abbey.  This is where Prince William & Katherine Middleton were married—- and I was there! We saw lots of tombs of lots of kings, queens, husbands, wives, etc. 

Going to the Royal Wedding a few months late

Westminister Abbey? More like Westminister CRABBY. Whoever guesses what that’s from first gets a special shout out next time :)

After the Abbey, Gretchen and I met up with Radhika at HARROD’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is basically the most magical and famous department store in London.  If you think things are expensive at Saks, Neimans, or any other luxurious department store in the US of A, then you have seen NOTHING.  Gretchen’s sister works there, so we visited her at Fendi handbags.  How fabulous.  We saw a memorial to Princess Diana and some other guy (none of us knew who he was… awkward…). At the memorial is the last wine glass used by Princess Di.  Creepy.  Harrod’s also has a pet section—- they even have treadmills for puppies while they watch 101 DALMATIANS.  Yes, that is real life.  Gretchen also attempted to take a picture with the giant JBiebs digital signage about 293859825 times- crazy girl.  Jonny Rubes told me before I left, “You must go to Harrod’s, but the only thing that you will buy there is food.” which turned out to be sooooooooooo true.  We made our way to the Harrod’s Chocolate Bar, and I purchased a Reese’s milkshake! Whoever can tell me the price of this milkshake without cheating will win another shout out. Think crazy, people.  

HARROD’S. Trying to be glamorous in my J.Crew wear.  Not workin’ for me.

Best ************ pounds that I’ve spent at a fancy shmancy department store.

Harrod’s Bear & SKR, official 8/3/2011. 

Since I’m not feeling so hot, I just made myself some dinner at home and now am attempting to work on school work.  Although I did get distracted by skyping with the Rubes crew (mom, dad, lonz), my beautiful child Sarah Elizabeth Gallo, and my amazing grandma Lois Epstein. Now, it’s time for sleeeep!!!!!! 

COUNTDOWN: 7 (ONE WEEK) TIL 21!!!!!!

All in all, it was an awesome August 3rd.  Here’s to single digits (9 days) left in London… 

LASTLY……..

If you have a Facebook, please “like” this page: http://www.facebook.com/royalgate

For every “like” that they get in the month of August, ONE DOLLAR WILL BE DONATED TO CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK OF GREATER ST. LOUIS!!!!! This money goes DIRECTLY to children in St. Louis.  Please do it FTK— FOR THE KIDS! For more information on this incredible organization, please visit http://www.facebook.com/CMNstl

Missing DM Exec 2011—- So much DML from London! YOU GUYS BEST BE FILMING :)