I love it! It's way better than the plain Moleskin I would have bought myself. Thanks, again! Here's to all of us who are trying to magnify this mantra and endure the last few weeks of school!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Keep Calm and Carry On
It is official. ONE MONTH from today I will be in London starting my study abroad program. I am so excited! The only bad part is thinking of what all has to happen before then. There are less than four weeks left in the semester and only 13 more days of classes, and boy will they be busy and stressful. Not to mention the looming task of packing for six weeks in one suitcase! Luckily, my sister Nollie surprised me (well, I found out a couple days ahead while we were chatting) with the perfect gift in which to record daily goings-on and events while I am in the UK. Hopefully it will also keep me in the right frame of mind until I leave!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Architecture 101
All of you know that I love architecture and cool buildings. If I had any artistic/creative skills to my name, I would have liked to be an architect. But alas, I am left as an admirer of others' work. For our second class, Dr. Miller wanted to do a brief survey on architecture in Britain. We learned about its main periods of architectural design, what style/techniques/features/designs defined them, and then he showed us lots of examples. He also gave us a primer on cathedrals, which was fascinating, as I have never been inside a major cathedral, so it's good to know what and where everything is. Basically, I was hanging on his every word for two hours, and was awed by all the pictures he showed us.
Here are my favorites from each period (granted I have a limited knowledge base to choose from still):
Norman/Romanesque:
White Tower - London
thick stone walls, castle-like, small rounded windows
Gothic:
Bath Abbey - Bath
Check out those flying buttresses!
Also: spires, thinner stone walls, vertical, stained glass, pointed windows
Renaissance/Tudor:
Hardwicke Hall - Derbyshire
&
Hampton Court - Greater London
symmetry and proportion, linear
Baroque:
St. Paul's Cathedral
curves! domes! ornamentation!
Neo-Classical (Georgian):
The British Museum
derivative of Greece and Rome, mathematical proportion
Neo-Gothic (Victorian):
Westminster Palace (aka Parliament)
mishmash of Gothic features and other styles, pointy/busy decorations, contrasting bricks and stone
Modern:
Tate Modern Museum
iconic, geometric shapes, simple exterior, function over form
Post-Modern:
Inner Courtyard of the British Museum
sculptural, three-dimensional, form over function
I can't wait to see all of these places in real life!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I'm Ready, I Am
Tuesday was the first day of my pre-departure class for the Spring 2011 BYU London Study Abroad Program I am going on in eight weeks! I can't wait! Before I tell how class went, I should probably give a little background on the whole study abroad situation.
Probably a little over a year ago I started thinking seriously about studying abroad. I am a traveler at heart. I don't get homesick and I love to see new places, big or small, quaint or bustling. I love domestic travel (shout out to AZ and OH!) and would like to go so many places in the US, (my inaugural visit to DC will happen later this summer!), but I have always wanted to travel internationally as much as possible during my life. I got my first taste when we went as a family to pick up Rikker from Thailand in 2003. I loved the entire experience (I am still hoping we get to go back, but that hasn't happened yet). So last spring I started poking around the BYU Kennedy Center website to see what study abroad opportunities there were coming up. I felt like the summer after my sophomore year would be a good time to go.
Sidenote: Most of my family had international/study abroad experiences, including Israel/Egypt/Jordan (Nollie and Kira both did BYU Jerusalem), Australia/New Zealand/Fiji (Nollie), London (Nanette during law school), Thailand (Rikker's mission/his family lives there now), Romania (+ a European jaunt afterward - Trisha), Guatemala and Germany (Mom), Germany (Jeff).
Looking at the different options, it was clear that I was kind of limited because I don't speak a foreign language. So, Jerusalem and London were my main options. I'd heard wonderful things about Jerusalem from Kira and Nollie, plus my mom also encouraged me to go if I ever got the chance, and Nanette has always talked about the fabulous time she spent in London. For some reason though, I've didn't have a really strong desire to go to Israel at this point. I would like to go there sometime, but I didn't feel like that now. So I planned on applying for the Spring 2011 London study abroad. It turns out it was actually pretty perfect since it would actually round out the last couple GE's I would have left by then. I am registered for World Civilization from 1500-Present, a history class that focuses on the major periods and issues of human history in the last five or so centuries; and European Fine Arts class, which is basically conducted in the different art museums in London for 6+ hours a week. I'm excited about that one! Plus, everyone has to take the one-credit "London Walks" course, a series of self-guided walking tours around the city.
I should probably tell a little bit about the application process and getting accepted, too. So I knew all summer that I wanted to apply. I went to an International Studies fair at the very beginning of the school year and went to the London Spring 2011 booth, where I actually talked about the program a little to Dr. Miller, one of the directors, and mentioned that I was going to apply. But the deadline wasn't until November 27th, and that seemed like forever away, right?
Meanwhile school gets crazy and then all the sudden I'm flying home for Thanksgiving, and the application is due that Saturday night! I am a procrastinator if you didn't already know, and I was done with all the easy parts of the online application, except for the essay. Finally, Saturday evening I composed something with the helpful advice/example from a friend who had gotten accepted to the Winter semester program. I went to copy my essay into the appropriate box and shoot off my application, only to find that the Kennedy Center website was down. I quickly attached my essay with an email to Dr. Miller hoping that it would still count. He kindly and quickly replied that other students had the same problem, and just to check the website early the next week and everything should be fixed, plus they would extend the deadline until then. Thank goodness! Once I could access the website again, I submitted my essay, but I wasn't quite done like I had thought! It turns out I needed references. So I quickly wrote emails to a couple of professors I'd had that knew me pretty well since they were small honors classes, plus Brother Moses, my seminary teacher, and my high school IB English teacher, Mrs. Peterson. Luckily they all agreed to be my reference contacts.
My application was finally done by Monday. I was very surprised when I got the email from Dr. Miller the very next day that said to call and schedule an appointment for an interview. Exciting! I called him and he said, "how does tomorrow work?" It worked fine, and right after classes on Wednesday I was supposed to meet with him. I didn't tell anyone (except mom, I think) that I was going to interview that day, even though some people asked why I had dressed up. I was just afraid of the whole thing not working out, and I didn't want to have gabbed to everyone about it.
Now for the interview. Let me just say that I am not a good public speaker, I don't like being the focus of attention, and I don't know how to sell myself well in an interview setting. At the start of the meeting, Dr. Miller tells me he doesn't have my application info or essay in front of him. So he asks me to just tell a little about myself and he'll write some notes on the yellow legal pad in front of him. Great. My worst nightmare. I give the basics, and he asks a few follow-up questions. At one point I kind of get to explain why I want to go and how I think it will benefit me personally and educationally, but for the rest of the time he just kind of talks and tells me about the program and all the great stuff about it. At the end he gives the hard facts: there are 75 applicants and only 40 spots, and in about six weeks they'll notify me if I've been accepted or not. I leave with those odds running through my head. The interview only lasted ten or twelve minutes altogether, and I left feeling not so good about how it went. By the time I got home I was really dejected. I just felt like it went really badly and that he couldn't get a good sense of who I am because I'm not good at explaining myself, plus he hadn't even gotten to look at my essay, qualifications, references, or any of that.
I was in a grumpy mood for the rest of Wednesday night, but during my prayers that night I just prayed like crazy that Dr. Miller got a good sense of me and saw how much I wanted to go, and I told Heavenly Father what this opportunity meant to me. I realized I had done the best I could in the interview and left the result up to Him. Thursday I woke up feeling a little bummed still, thinking back on the day before. I didn't have class until 3pm, but right before I left I decided to check my email and found two emails from the International Study Programs office, one with the subject line "Study Abroad Acceptance." I was floored. My first thought was, "Is this for real?" I just had my interview yesterday; there was no way they accept people that quickly, and Dr. Miller told me it would be six weeks. I read the emails that assured me, yes, I had been accepted! I was shaking and so happy but I had to run out the door to chemistry. I called mom on the way and told her the good news and then texted the siblings too. I admit, though, I was still a little suspicious and felt like at any moment I'd get an email saying those other ones had been mistakes, so I waited another few days before telling any of my friends (and posting it as my status on FB of course) that I was going to London.
So there you have it, the whirlwind experience of applying and getting into the London Study Abroad program this spring! One you're accepted you sign up for the pre-departure prep course, which began Tuesday night. I have been looking forward to this class for weeks because to me, it means that this whole thing is really happening! Before now, I had made a few preparations, but until I was sitting in class listening to Dr. Miller talk about our schedule of events and such, it hadn't really hit me that I am going to London! I will actually be doing those fun things he's talking about and more. I am so ready for this semester to end so I can be in London already!
Like I mentioned, Dr. Miller showed us the tentative schedule of events with our trips and excursions, class days, free travel weekend, etc. He also talked about travel in general; what we generally associate with it, how it benefits a person, and different types of travelers/tourists. I had never thought about there being different types of tourists before. He mentioned:
1. Anthropological tourist - one who is extroverted and gets out and talks to the locals and really gets into the customs and lifestyle
Towards the end we went over the syllabus for the class. Our assignments include:
1. Read two books that deal with England on any topic of interest and write a two-page book report
2. Make an "I Must See" list with 12 sites, events, places, museums, activities, etc. to see or do in London/Britain. We also have to present to the class on one of these.
3. Memorize the counties of England
4. Memorize the major neighborhoods/boroughs of London
5. Memorize Britain's major historical periods since 1500 and the coinciding ruling royalty from Henry VIII to Elizabeth II
I spent over an hour at the BYU library looking for good books related to England that were also interesting subjects to me. I got a good selection of books on English architecture, one on British art, one on Albert and Victoria, and one general primer on British history and culture. Now I just have to narrow it down! At the Provo library I wiped out all the London 2011 guide books available. We are required to buy a guidebook, but it can be any one, so I wanted to get a feel for what one I liked before I shelled out. So far Frommer's is looking promising, but you've gotta love Rick Steves!
That's all! If you've read this whole post, congratulations and thanks! Sorry for the lack of pictures. I can assure you that once I am in London, there will not be a shortage, whatsoever.
(Warning: this is a quasi journal entry for me so I don't forget all this stuff. It might be slightly boring)
Probably a little over a year ago I started thinking seriously about studying abroad. I am a traveler at heart. I don't get homesick and I love to see new places, big or small, quaint or bustling. I love domestic travel (shout out to AZ and OH!) and would like to go so many places in the US, (my inaugural visit to DC will happen later this summer!), but I have always wanted to travel internationally as much as possible during my life. I got my first taste when we went as a family to pick up Rikker from Thailand in 2003. I loved the entire experience (I am still hoping we get to go back, but that hasn't happened yet). So last spring I started poking around the BYU Kennedy Center website to see what study abroad opportunities there were coming up. I felt like the summer after my sophomore year would be a good time to go.
Sidenote: Most of my family had international/study abroad experiences, including Israel/Egypt/Jordan (Nollie and Kira both did BYU Jerusalem), Australia/New Zealand/Fiji (Nollie), London (Nanette during law school), Thailand (Rikker's mission/his family lives there now), Romania (+ a European jaunt afterward - Trisha), Guatemala and Germany (Mom), Germany (Jeff).
Looking at the different options, it was clear that I was kind of limited because I don't speak a foreign language. So, Jerusalem and London were my main options. I'd heard wonderful things about Jerusalem from Kira and Nollie, plus my mom also encouraged me to go if I ever got the chance, and Nanette has always talked about the fabulous time she spent in London. For some reason though, I've didn't have a really strong desire to go to Israel at this point. I would like to go there sometime, but I didn't feel like that now. So I planned on applying for the Spring 2011 London study abroad. It turns out it was actually pretty perfect since it would actually round out the last couple GE's I would have left by then. I am registered for World Civilization from 1500-Present, a history class that focuses on the major periods and issues of human history in the last five or so centuries; and European Fine Arts class, which is basically conducted in the different art museums in London for 6+ hours a week. I'm excited about that one! Plus, everyone has to take the one-credit "London Walks" course, a series of self-guided walking tours around the city.
I should probably tell a little bit about the application process and getting accepted, too. So I knew all summer that I wanted to apply. I went to an International Studies fair at the very beginning of the school year and went to the London Spring 2011 booth, where I actually talked about the program a little to Dr. Miller, one of the directors, and mentioned that I was going to apply. But the deadline wasn't until November 27th, and that seemed like forever away, right?
Meanwhile school gets crazy and then all the sudden I'm flying home for Thanksgiving, and the application is due that Saturday night! I am a procrastinator if you didn't already know, and I was done with all the easy parts of the online application, except for the essay. Finally, Saturday evening I composed something with the helpful advice/example from a friend who had gotten accepted to the Winter semester program. I went to copy my essay into the appropriate box and shoot off my application, only to find that the Kennedy Center website was down. I quickly attached my essay with an email to Dr. Miller hoping that it would still count. He kindly and quickly replied that other students had the same problem, and just to check the website early the next week and everything should be fixed, plus they would extend the deadline until then. Thank goodness! Once I could access the website again, I submitted my essay, but I wasn't quite done like I had thought! It turns out I needed references. So I quickly wrote emails to a couple of professors I'd had that knew me pretty well since they were small honors classes, plus Brother Moses, my seminary teacher, and my high school IB English teacher, Mrs. Peterson. Luckily they all agreed to be my reference contacts.
My application was finally done by Monday. I was very surprised when I got the email from Dr. Miller the very next day that said to call and schedule an appointment for an interview. Exciting! I called him and he said, "how does tomorrow work?" It worked fine, and right after classes on Wednesday I was supposed to meet with him. I didn't tell anyone (except mom, I think) that I was going to interview that day, even though some people asked why I had dressed up. I was just afraid of the whole thing not working out, and I didn't want to have gabbed to everyone about it.
Now for the interview. Let me just say that I am not a good public speaker, I don't like being the focus of attention, and I don't know how to sell myself well in an interview setting. At the start of the meeting, Dr. Miller tells me he doesn't have my application info or essay in front of him. So he asks me to just tell a little about myself and he'll write some notes on the yellow legal pad in front of him. Great. My worst nightmare. I give the basics, and he asks a few follow-up questions. At one point I kind of get to explain why I want to go and how I think it will benefit me personally and educationally, but for the rest of the time he just kind of talks and tells me about the program and all the great stuff about it. At the end he gives the hard facts: there are 75 applicants and only 40 spots, and in about six weeks they'll notify me if I've been accepted or not. I leave with those odds running through my head. The interview only lasted ten or twelve minutes altogether, and I left feeling not so good about how it went. By the time I got home I was really dejected. I just felt like it went really badly and that he couldn't get a good sense of who I am because I'm not good at explaining myself, plus he hadn't even gotten to look at my essay, qualifications, references, or any of that.
I was in a grumpy mood for the rest of Wednesday night, but during my prayers that night I just prayed like crazy that Dr. Miller got a good sense of me and saw how much I wanted to go, and I told Heavenly Father what this opportunity meant to me. I realized I had done the best I could in the interview and left the result up to Him. Thursday I woke up feeling a little bummed still, thinking back on the day before. I didn't have class until 3pm, but right before I left I decided to check my email and found two emails from the International Study Programs office, one with the subject line "Study Abroad Acceptance." I was floored. My first thought was, "Is this for real?" I just had my interview yesterday; there was no way they accept people that quickly, and Dr. Miller told me it would be six weeks. I read the emails that assured me, yes, I had been accepted! I was shaking and so happy but I had to run out the door to chemistry. I called mom on the way and told her the good news and then texted the siblings too. I admit, though, I was still a little suspicious and felt like at any moment I'd get an email saying those other ones had been mistakes, so I waited another few days before telling any of my friends (and posting it as my status on FB of course) that I was going to London.
So there you have it, the whirlwind experience of applying and getting into the London Study Abroad program this spring! One you're accepted you sign up for the pre-departure prep course, which began Tuesday night. I have been looking forward to this class for weeks because to me, it means that this whole thing is really happening! Before now, I had made a few preparations, but until I was sitting in class listening to Dr. Miller talk about our schedule of events and such, it hadn't really hit me that I am going to London! I will actually be doing those fun things he's talking about and more. I am so ready for this semester to end so I can be in London already!
Like I mentioned, Dr. Miller showed us the tentative schedule of events with our trips and excursions, class days, free travel weekend, etc. He also talked about travel in general; what we generally associate with it, how it benefits a person, and different types of travelers/tourists. I had never thought about there being different types of tourists before. He mentioned:
1. Anthropological tourist - one who is extroverted and gets out and talks to the locals and really gets into the customs and lifestyle
2. Culinary tourist - self-explanatory. Eat good food.
3. Art/Architecture tourist - one who searches the city and museums to find what styles, artists, pieces etc. they really love. (I want this to be me! I don't have much experience with art, but I love buildings and architecture, and I am so excited to see all that London, and England for that matter, has to offer)
4. Nature tourist - one who takes advantage of England's beautiful landscapes and London's countless miles of walking trails, parks, gardens etc.
5. Genealogical tourist - visit cemeteries and find places that are significant to one's family history.
Okay, let's be frank. I want to be all of these. Mostly Dr. Miller stressed making the most of our time in London. He suggested not wasting time on things we can do or get back home in the states. Above all, we need to get out of our comfort zones and experience the new culture! I am so looking forward to this. I think it will be so exhilarating to see, try, and learn new things every day! That is basically the whole reason I want to go. I also want to make new friends. During the second half of class we went around the room and all introduced ourselves. (Oh, by the way, of the 40 people going 34 are girls, six are boys). We had to say our name, major, and one thing we like and one thing we don't. It was fun to do that. I also chatted with a few girls that were sitting around me and I hope I can get to know them better. They seemed like people I would like, whereas other people...that might take some time. That is one thing I have been worried about, finding the right group of people to hang out with while I'm there. I know we'll do a lot as a whole group and I want to get to know everybody, but I hope to have friends that I become close with.
Towards the end we went over the syllabus for the class. Our assignments include:
1. Read two books that deal with England on any topic of interest and write a two-page book report
2. Make an "I Must See" list with 12 sites, events, places, museums, activities, etc. to see or do in London/Britain. We also have to present to the class on one of these.
3. Memorize the counties of England
4. Memorize the major neighborhoods/boroughs of London
5. Memorize Britain's major historical periods since 1500 and the coinciding ruling royalty from Henry VIII to Elizabeth II
I spent over an hour at the BYU library looking for good books related to England that were also interesting subjects to me. I got a good selection of books on English architecture, one on British art, one on Albert and Victoria, and one general primer on British history and culture. Now I just have to narrow it down! At the Provo library I wiped out all the London 2011 guide books available. We are required to buy a guidebook, but it can be any one, so I wanted to get a feel for what one I liked before I shelled out. So far Frommer's is looking promising, but you've gotta love Rick Steves!
That's all! If you've read this whole post, congratulations and thanks! Sorry for the lack of pictures. I can assure you that once I am in London, there will not be a shortage, whatsoever.
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