From Aylea to London: The Past Few Months

Monday, April 2, 2012

The Past Few Months

I was thinking the other day of everything that's happened in the last few months. Or, y'know. What I can remember from the past few months. It was kind of fun to think about so I thought I'd share it with you. I know I'm missing stuff but it's a pretty decent list.

THE VERY BEGINNING
Feeling absolutely certain that I couldn't come... and then everything working out for me so that I could.

HEALTH PROBLEMS:
Ankles
Breathing problems
Fainting (don't try to blow up train stations, guys)
Fever
Colds
Blisters

TRIPS:
Runnymede, Windsor, and Eton: Muddy shoes around my first castle, cute little boys
Hampton Court: most embarrassing moment. Ever.
First overnight trip: The Cotswalds, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick Castle, Oxford (SO COLD!)
Stourhead, Stonehenge, Jane Austen's house, Avebury, Bath, Wales

Paris
Hampstead: John Keats, Kenwood House
North trip: Ironbridge, Ambleside with Wordsworth, Beatrix Poter's house, New Lanark, Edinburgh, Fountain Abbey, York
Kew Gardens

MUSEUMS:
Too many to count! Most notably:
British Museum
Museum of London
Fashion Museum (because nobody was too excited by it)
Tower of London
British Library (the display section)
National Portrait Gallery
Science Museum
V&A
Natural History Museum
Museum of Musical Instruments
Sherlock Holmes Museum

THEATRE
Wicked
Lion King
War Horse
Les Miserables
Reasons to be Pretty
Taming of the Shrew
Bingo
Madness of King George
She Stoops to Conquer

MARKETS AND SHOPPING
Borough
Camden
Portobello
Primark

FOOD
Gelato
Harrod's ice cream
McDonalds
Microwave pasta
Interesting dinners
Matt's cooking
Conference breakfast
Haggis
Bang Bang chicken
Tuk Tuk
Nando's

PARKS
Regents
Holland
Hyde
St. James
Kensington Gardens

Add to that embarrassing moments, inside jokes, crazy meals, learning to live with roommates, homesickness, getting lost, that crazy London walks class. The overwhelming experience of seeing Big Ben for the first time. Platform 9 3/4. Making friends with Matt's daughters. Not going to Italy but having the best week of my life anyway. The thrill of learning to go do things by myself. Hard midterms. Group panic. Deciding to stick it out through all the tough stuff. Kitchen crew. Dealing with one of our number being sent home. Riding a double decker bus. 76 blog posts (and more to come). 2,104 pageviews on the blog. Many encouraging emails, Facebook messages, and comments on the blog, a few letters, one package. One bed and breakfast, two hostels, a handful of hotels.

It's been hard. And it's been scary. And it's been the best thing I've ever done.

Cheers, London. I'm going to miss you when I leave.

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Quotes (Updated 3-28)

"When it comes to the taste of ants, I have learned to take Aylea's word for it."-Dr M

"You can always tell when someone's learned how to use semicolons. It's like, 'gee, mom, I can ride a bike now!'"-Nick

"The biggest problems I see with you guys is general awkwardness."-Nick

"My kids were bewildered that anyone had anything nice to say about their father."-Nick

"Who invited him? He's bringing a lot of negative energy into my classroom."-Nick about Matt

"It's the square jaw voice I'm going for."-Nick

"My daughter is going with you to Les Mis. I just have one request. (sings) Bring her home"

"Do you get letters from your missionaries that are like this? And when I say it plural, I'm referring to some of you in particular."-Nick, looking at one of the girls

"You're in London, receiving love letters, seeing the trees blossom. It's a wonderful time to be alive unless you're dying."-Nick

"This will be a tough poem unless you're on opium."-Nick

"Are you doing all right? You aren't appreciating my opening jokes."-Nick

"Let's read Coleridge. Everyone get out your opium pipes and lets get it on."-Nick

"Today we are going to be passionate. Stand up."-Nick

(about a student) "We are kinsmen. We went to the same high school. I was a year above her."-Nick

"Twenty years from now you're going to look at this and think, 'Professor Mason was on opium'."-Nick (all the drug jokes were on one day. Running theme I guess)

"My son always wanted to be a scientist or a stonemason. I suspect a scientist because of our physical coordination."-Nick

"So would it be a better Septimus impression if I threw myself out the window and impaled myself on a fence in the street? Why did you laugh at me dying but were horrified at the gory part? I thought we had bonded! None of you are getting a letter of recommendation from me! Ever!"-Nick

"Are guys allowed to watch the Notebook? Just kidding. I teach Jane Austen for a living."-Nick

"Enjoy your life. And don't make stupid decisions."-Nick

"We're all lonely. Life sucks. Deal with it."-Nick describing modernism

"That's a great question. I'll answer it in a few weeks."-Matt

"I was at Yellowstone and wanted to find some tea and throw it in a geyser."-Matt

"Bach would have supported this, Locke would have supported this, a bunch of people who rhymed with Bach and Locke would have supported this."-Matt

"We must defend the waffle and chocolate people!"-Matt about WWI

"Stacie, could you knit her a shawl?"-Matt in response to complaint about open window

"Have you noticed that the French tend to get bored and don't finish their words?"-Matt

"What this in miles? Oh, whatever. We're never going to figure that out."-Matt

"Let's not do math. No repeats of that traumatic experience."-Matt

"This is in the halloween Charlie Brown. Good movie. I highly recommend it."-Matt

"Whoa.

"And I was like, 'Umm, do NOT look at my legs. You might think I'm part spider.'"-name left out to protect the innocent

"Whoa. You look like Lady Gaga meets Elton John."-Nick

"And much as we've been ranting and raving about you not, well, going ranting and raving..."-Nick

"You're going to spend four months in the nunnery that is the London Centre."-Nick

"You found this the most boring thing? There's terrorism in this!"-Nick

While reading out loud, Nick chuckled at something but no one laughed so he said, "That's a funny one right there."

"In women there is joy

That there is in no toy

There is nothing better on earth

Than she who gives birth."-Nick's on the spot poetry

"He's dazzling looking but slightly snaggle-toothed."-Nick

"You have married Rupert Neville Longacre."-Nick

"Here's your Paris site... haha, parasite assignments. Oh, the jokes I could have told!"-Nick

Dr N at breakfast on Feb 14th: "Is it okay if I kiss my wife in front of everyone? It IS Valentines Day..." and then later "I have to teach you all about romance! This isn't just about literature, this is about life!"

"Cute shirt!"-Mikelle

"Thanks! It shrunk in the wash though."-me

"And now it's perfectly fitted to your womanly figure!"-Mikelle

"If you're seriously ill, we can work out make-out assignments."-Dr N

"If I do more laundry, I'll have a better grade so I need more clothes."-Courtney

"Dad, I hope you deliquest soon."-Sam

"Our Chaucer experience was mixed, meaning that I liked it and none of you did."-Dr. N

"Usually if there's something written in print that goes against what I'm saying I expect you to side with me. But this time..."

"You go girl or girl power or whatever. Those are old English phrases."-Dr N

"It's a secret ballot."-Dr N

"Did you raise your hand?"-classmate

"I laughed more in Shakespeare than I did in the rest of my childhood."-Matt H.

"You must have had a miserable childhood."-Dr N

"I've been teaching in colleges for 18 years but I have never had barefoot presenters before."-Dr N

"I'm going to swear in Jamaican and British this whole semester. I think it's bloody rubbish."-Dr N

"This is OUR side of the building. You live over there!"-Dr N

"If I do that you'll just mock me."-Dr N

"I read it in my very best American accent."-Dr N

"It was just a bunch of old ladies in England... and me."-Dr N

"It's like pirate Shakespeare!"-Dr N

"What is this generally an abbreviation for?"-Dr N

"A bad word."-Classmate

"Which one?"-Dr N

"Can two people hang out?"-Dr N

"Yes."-Class

"If they're kissing is it still hanging out?"-Dr N

"Who's the weenie who didn't erase the board? Oh, my brother! No, that's no the first time I've ever called him a weenie."-Dr N

"It made my heart glow."-Dr M

"I can't run around calling myself the queen of England. That is inaccurate in various ways."-Dr M

"If stuff don't relate, it don't get in this class. Write that down and show my grammar to Nick."-Dr M

"If cut off heads is a part of your art you know your society has problems."-Dr M

"A true hero goes to war as naked as possible."-Dr M

"If I wanted a fight I'd probably go after a monk myself."-Dr M

"These are supposed to deprive you of all joy in life and make you as miserable as possible."-Dr M. about assignments

"My wife doesn't like despair on a Friday night."-Dr M, talking about our reading assignment

"I'd like my name to be Cnut. If I couldn't be Cnut, I'd like to be Wamba."-Dr M

"Those foolish people should have had Google."-Dr M

"'BFF' comes from Austen."-Dr N

Later, same day "'C'mon, man' comes from the Tories."-Dr M

"That's a really great question. I'll answer it in a few weeks."-Dr M

"Here, I'll cough on you and you kick me really hard in the shins and we'll be even."-Dr N's solution to my ankle problems. He had a cold.

"Put that in your notes. I just made it up."-Dr N

"I have nothing against jocks except that they're more athletic than me."-Dr N

"All views expressed are the views of the author and not necessarily those of the professor teaching it."-Dr N

"This is one of my moments of prophecy."-Dr N

"You'd better not marry a monosyllabic man."-Dr N

"There's always a lot of people making out on the tube."-Classmate

"What are you guys on, the Circle line?"-Dr N

"They didn't bleep out the F words, but I guess if my kids are going to hear that sort of language I'd prefer them to hear it from their father."-Dr N

"Whoa. You look like Lady Gaga meets Elton John."-Dr N

"As much as we've been ranting and raving about you, well, not ranting and raving..."-Dr N

(after yelling the curse to excommunicate people from the church during the middle ages) "Oh. Maybe we should have shut the window."-Dr M

"Not so fast, pally. He said that. Write it down."-Dr M

"We've seen some wonders. Tower of London. Westminster Abbey. This map I just drew is one of those wonders."

"This is a party in a binding!"-Dr M about our textbook

"I was inspired by the goat professor in Wicked."-Dr M

"It's time for the ceremonial sitting of the professor."-Dr M

"I vigorously skimmed through that part."-Dr M

"Aylea, you look like Good Council. Read that for us."-Dr M

"It's a mystery. Shut up."-Dr M