Letters to Mum

Nearly every day I've been in England, I've written my mother a detailed entry of the day's events. The emails to her have become an informal diary, since I've found I have less time for diary writing than I usually do. I know I'll treasure these someday. In the meantime, they will make an excellent addition to my blog while here in England, I think.

*Note: Letters have been substantially edited, with the sillier bits of personal information removed, leaving only the narrative and insights behind.

9/2/09:

Mum, ;)

I actually do feel curiously at home here. After we had dinner (which was delicious) a few other girls and I went on a bit of an adventure. We caught the tube to Westminster bridge and saw the eye (huge ferris wheel) and Big Ben and the parliament building. We also went to Oxford circus for a moment or two. It was fun, and it was nice to get to know some of the girls a little better.

I love you, Mom. I'll be keeping you posted.

Mary-Celeste


2-9-09:

Hi MC,

I hope you are asleep and don’t get this until morning.

It might make a very nice semester abroad journal to send an email to me each day telling about what you did that day. Besides, I’m very curious.

Karen says hello.

Love, Mom

9/3/09

Mommy,

Beware: this is a very very long email.

So, today I went to the British Museum and the National Gallery. It was AMAZING! There were at least half a dozen times I thought I'd just burst out crying. It was hard to keep my mouth shut. The Rosetta Stone, Mom--the ROSETTA STONE! I saw it! It was wonderful to see these things in person that I've only read about in the past. Almost like receiving a personal witness from the spirit even though you believed the testimony of those gone before. It's nice to know it's real. I didn't have much time to look around, but I also got to see ancient Mesopotamian carvings (Babylonian and Assyrian) and the trappings from the tomb of an early Anglo-Saxon king, which was very, very interesting. Also, I saw a few mummies, and I glanced in the Persian section--the jewelry was to die for! And I was so absorbed looking at all of this stuff that it took me a while to notice that a really really cute guy was checking me out. (Which, for me, is impressive.)

At the National Gallery, I saw . . . oh, at least half a dozen paintings I've studied or read up on and only ever seen before in books. Just one after another! It was . . . mind-boggling. I seriously almost cried. Caravaggio, Mum! And Rubens! Van Eyck, Raphael, Degas, Renoir, Seurat . . . beautiful. Bacchus and Ariadne, the Judgment of Paris, Samson and Delilah--Mom! It was incredible, and almost a surreal experience, those paintings were already so close to my heart. To see them in person stirred something in the pit of my stomach that I believe can only be remedied by standing in front of each of them for at least twenty minutes. I can't wait to go back. I plan to do so often--both the British Museum and the Gallery. It only took 20 minutes to get there by tube, and since both galleries are free and I have a tube pass, I'm going to go as often as I can. I didn't even see a fraction of what I want to see.

Trafalgar square, Charing Cross road and station, the theater district . . . all these sights keep rushing past me--too quickly to truly appreciate or understand them all. But I still feel at home. Getting better at crossing the street. I'm excited to keep trying new things. There are lots of different foods and restaurants I'm dying to try. Queensway, just a few blocks from here, is a famous street just COVERED in different restaurants--Indian, Chinese, Italian, European, Middle Eastern, and lots more. I want to eat fish and chips and some good curry, waffles, kebabs, chinese, and so much more! Food is such a good way to drink in other cultures.

Sunday evening, two gentlemen came and spoke to us about the wards we'll be in, and the bishop that visited gave us a very funny crash course on how to politely speak to a Brit. Their customs are so different! Saying, "Hi, My name is . . ." is just about the worst thing you can do--it invades their privacy. Their conversation is more of a delicate dance than a full-on American tackle. Dancing around the subject, beating around the bush . . . these all originated in England. And this is something I'll need to work on--being demure, I mean, and not being too forward. I know I have that side of me somewhere, but I need to let her out while I'm here. I'm unusually friendly and personal even for an American.

I wanted to thank you again. Thank you, Mom. I love you so much.

Mary-Celeste

PS- A bunch of the girls are talking about going to see an extremely highly rated production of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. It sounds incredible--I hope we can go!

9/4/09

Mum,

Today we had our class intros. My classes look wonderful! I just went to the intro classes today for the ones I'll be taking, and each one seems incredible. None are too difficult or require too much work, which is ideal, as I'll mostly be exploring the city and countryside, learning all I can from all I see. My literature class? I just discovered twenty minutes ago that this literature class is exactly the reason I've come to England. The entire class is about how the literature is affected by the setting in which its written. We'll be reading things like Beowulf, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Bronte, Chaucer, Forster . . . and going to the actual locations where the stories were written/took place!!! I nearly cried, my heart felt so alive. :) My classes all require a considerable amount of studying, but it's all do-able, and they're mostly focused on us gleaning all we can while in London.

Today I went on a couple of different walks. This afternoon I walked "the city" (what people around here call the financial district). I saw the bank of England, the Duke of Wellington's statue, London bridge, the tower bridge, St Mary's church, St Paul's cathedral, Cheapside, Gracechurch street (I couldn't help but think of Aunt and Uncle Gardner!), the mithras temple, and the great gherkin, among other things. It was a long walk!

After dinner, I went on a walk by myself. I walked up Palace Court (so named because it's across the street from Kensington palace and gardens, where Princess Diana used to live), turned left on Bayswater, left on Queensway (walking down Queensway was fascinating this evening--I was alone, so no other girls were chatting around me, and I could pick out at least five or six conversations, all in different languages taking place around me just walking down the block!) I've walked many miles today, Mum. :) Which is good--they're feeding us very very well at the center.

Oh, I'm loving it here, Mom. Thank you thank you thank you for helping me get here! And I'm jotting plenty of little notes in my "london walks" book, for when you guys come back with me someday. I'll be a fabulous tour guide. ;)

Love you,

Mary-Celeste

9/6/09

I'm glad you feel better, Mom!

Yesterday Brooke and I went shopping on Portobello Road. It was SUCH a fun time! Did you know Portobello market is the largest antiques market in the world? There were so many amazing shops and stalls! The whole street was jam-packed with tourists, locals, and visitors from all around the world. That's one of my favorite things about London--the rainbow of colors and languages one sees and hears just walking down the road. It reminded me of Bourbon street or something--being on just one very very famous street jam-packed with people? The crowd disappears ten meters down a side street! :)

When we got back, I hung out with the other girls in the center, and had a blast--they're all such fun people! I have a lot in common with a lot of them. I'm glad I decided to approach all of them with a good attitude, because though they're a bit different from me, they're all such wonderful people! I hope we'll grow to all be even better friends by semester's end. :)

For dinner I split a carton of strawberries with Brooke, and they were the best strawberries I've ever had in my life! Also, the raspberries from Portobello Market were far better than any I've had in America. The berries are just plain better over here! It's incredible, even though you wouldn't think it'd be that way, because we're in the middle of a city. Really are the best berries ever Perhaps it's the maritime climate.

It was amazing talking to the girl from mainland China in our group (Her name is . . . See-Kong, sort of. That's the dumbed-down pronunciation we mostly use.) and it was very very interesting. When I finally got into Hamlet, I was amazed to discover I couldn't put it down! I've never been "sucked in" to Shakespeare like that before. It was wonderful. :)

I love you, Mum. I hope you're having a wonderful, sunny day!

Mary-Celeste

P. S. Here's a poem I just wrote. I believe it was an assignment that was canceled, but I decided to attempt it anyway--twenty lines of blank iambic pentameter. It's about the Peterson cemetery.

The path is steep; the road is long and straight.
Long, scrubby grass blows to and fro beside.
I reach the top--my chest is filled with space
From each crisp breath of mountain air I take.
Vibrant green, those hills call out to me,
Those patchy fields a thousand different hues,
As 'cross the peaceful nook I rest my eyes.
Craggy, snow-capped peaks in distance rumble
With satisfaction for their basin fair,
Whilst peaceful mares graze long in tranquil fields
Beside those quiet stones that lie so still,
Those monuments, grown dim with age and wear.
Blanket of turf, in mountain home they sleep,
While golden flames crest peaks that seem to fly,
And slowly, molten mauve just dances by,
And And leaves a hazy gray-blue glow about
That wraps my favorite place in monochrome.
It barely seems to kiss my arms and face,
And sends me off to bed with fond embrace
That seems to say, "come back to me . . . someday."

Anyway, I rather liked it. Love you, Mum. Truly, I do.

*end of transmission*

I'm very fortunate I have a mother I can speak to so easily. I know that, regardless of whether these letters meet the minimum qualifications for a London blog, I will treasure them for many years as not only a faithful record of my trip here, but of my enduring bond with my mother.

-Mary-Celeste