I don't get a signal in Neverland, sorry for the inconvenience.

I've been a little busy bee lately. Just trying to fit everything in before I head back to the States on Wednesday! Ah! I can't believe that it has already been almost 5 weeks. Time flys. Granted I miss my family and friends, and familiarities, I really do like it here. I've had some great experiences this past week! I went to another little market, as a group we were able to get an after hours private tour of West Minister Abbey (amazingly beautiful), I went and saw Peter Pan, and I just got home from Scotland (which is my new favorite beautiful place in the world).

The market is just a little place where there are tons of shops set up and random things from all over. One of my friends on the trip is having her birthday today and so I went to find her something interesting.It was a really great day, I sort of took some Jessi time and did some things on my own in the city. It was really nice, I miss my time. It's hard to have time to yourself when you're in a group of about 100 people all seemingly ending up where you do.I'd tell you what I got her but I haven't given it to her yet and I don't want her to read it before she gets it!

We are tourists what can we do? That was a really great time. The next day we as a group go to go and visit with the Brunswick group ( a PR/communications company that specializes in handling large clients and cleaning up the mess to be frank) It was really interesting, and seems to bedoing VERY well.

Don't worry I introduced myself, NEED JOB flashing in

my eyes. Always have to be ready. That night we went and saw Peter Pan! It was FABULOUS. The show was really "tech" driven. They flew but were surrounded by a screen that as they were flying was showing a sky view of where we were!

The story line was also a little different, more eclectic, but really good. I knew I should have been a theatre major! I really enjoyed myself. The NEXT day we had lovely class and then as a group we were able to go to West Minister Abbey with a private guide and after hours where it was just us. They even allowed us to take photographs which is usually not allowed. This place was beautiful. Huge ceilings, wonderful carvings and craftsmanship. I was very impressed with the history and the tombs that are actually there.. this is a church and Darwin is buried there... why? Your answer is as good as mine (darwin= evolution... for those of you that have been out of school for a good while) But I really liked this outing, Baylor has done a wonderful job for us. It was raining that night and I was feeling a little "under the weather" so I went back to my room, listened to the rain and did a little homework, it was just perfect. Early the next morning we were up and at em to SCOTLAND! Of course we missed our first train and had to get the second one, but it wasn't a big deal. We arrived, headed to the hotel/dorms we stayed in unloaded our bags and were off! Edinburgh is actually having the biggest theatre festival in the whole UK this weekend.... it was very INTERESTING to say the least!

We ate at a little pub..I had macaroni and cheese... the best ever it KILLS the shells and cheese I make at home, it was wonderful. Then we stopped at the most darling little coffee place in the world. Mocha with a shot of caramel anyone??...... i think so! It was just perfect. When we left there Taylor and I decided we should do our lovely little extra credit assignment that took us 3 hours to complete walking around this town! Too bad there is a quater mile and and a ROYAL mile in this town.... That was fun.

I will gladly be your tour guide next time you decide to go to Edinburgh , I've seen it all... a couple of times actually. We finally found our extra credit... Adam Smith's grave (creepy I know), were studying economics and he's a famous economist.

After that it was late and we were off to bed where we had to wake up early and head back to London!

Only 3 more days pretty much and then I'll be home. Bittersweet of course.

I miss y'all love you all.

PICTURES

xoxo

I finally met Mona.

Paris! This weekend we were in Paris, we just got back so I wanted to write about my adventures. We all had a lovely time, what an interesting city. We left Thursday morning and took the eurostar train, pretty quick. Of course I slept the entire way...story of my life. I got a nice little nap in and then woke up in Paris, life's hard huh? Paris is quite an interesting little city, well huge city. When we got to Paris we loaded up on two buses and were driven around on an hour and a half bus tour around the city. It was really neat to get to see a lot of Paris with a guide and air conditioning! Once we got to the hotel we check in and then of course had to get something to eat. Believe it or not, we went to a Japanese restaurant in Paris and I actually ate and ENJOYED it. Even though my meal consisted of mainly beef, chicken and rice! We then of course wanted to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal.But first on our way there I was convinced to get a nutella crepe. I'm not going to lie, it's probably the best thing I've ever eaten. Just imagine with me here, a light and fluffy pancake that's still warm with melted nutella inside. It was phenomenal! Needless to say that was the beginning of my nutella obsession. We then went to the Eiffel tower where we found a spot in the lawn and sat and waited for it to light up. Of course being the tourists we are as soon as it gets dark the whole thing lights up and we snapped about a billion pictures.....then it really lit up! It was actually twinkling lights that constitutes the lighting up of the Eiffel tower. It was beautiful. We sat around and then headed back early enough to get some sleep before our early morning date to the top of the Eiffel.

The next morning we had to wake up really early to meet our group appointment at the Eiffel tower. We all went up together in the elevator to the second level.

From there we decided that we didn't come all the way to Paris to go HALF WAY up the Effiel tower, sooo we paid our extra 3 Euros and headed for the top! By the way the Eiffel tower "company" makes a killing. It was really neat... and reallyyyy windy! After the eiffel we girls decided that we better go to the Louvre. It was really neat, but REALLY overwhelming. It was also really warm inside which kind of made it not so enjoyable.

There is so much there that it's ultimately impossible to see it all in one day. We did a little of it, saw the Mona Lisa ( she's smaller than we thought!), and then hit the streets to shop! The Louvre was amazing though, I wish we

were there longer so we could see more of it.

We had dinner that night at a really great fondue place. I've never had fondue before and this was quite an experience. The food was great! Afterwards we went back to the eiffel, crepe in hand and waited for the twinkling to start! What a life!

The next day consisted of breakfast at

the hotel and then to the Paris "flea market." Which If I had a home anywhere NEAR this place, it's where I'd get everything for my home. It was amazing! Ever decorators dream. Things were still a little pricey but I managed to find a really neat little souvenir for my mom and step dad! It was an all day thing so we finally got back, showered and then it was dinner time! We ate and went to the eiffel tower again! Oh.. and a crepe. I've eaten my weight in crepes! Paris was wonderful I'd love to come back and really spend some time going to more touristy things. I feel like I at least "saw" most of everything at least.

I had such an amazing time, and I only have a week and a half left! I have quite a few things to do in London still so I'm excited for what's to come.

Congrats to Sara and JJ (my boyfriend's sister) on their engagement!!! That's so exciting.

Love from London.

Photos!

So I want a job at Lloyds..alright who has connections?

Once again I'm slacking. These last few days have been pretty busy! I've been having such a terrific time here in London. The weather's been a bit rainy and cold but I'm not complaining, I'll take it over the Texas heat anytime. We've had a few group trips lately, the first to Stonehenge. Very neat.
I'm going to be honest, upon arrival a small sense of disappointment sets in, it really is a pile of rocks. I don't know I suppose I created this magnificent dream of huge over powering rocks in this incredibly ornate setting.... But even still it was really interesting, and the ice cream wasn't so bad either! We loaded the train, I LOVE THESE FAST TRAINS by the way and headed to Salisbury (yes, if you're wondering that's where salisbury steak originated).We were then picked up by a bus and driven to the Stonehenge site. Which interesting enough is not some huge tourist attraction with shops and food stalls everywhere. It's dirt parking, a little ticket booth, a store and a small little section for food. (Reading the pamphlet..super tourist I know..don't judge, they are planning to have a whole new facility build by 2011 I believe) We were distributed the little handheld audio guides and off we went. Trivia: They don't know why Stonehenge is actually built, it does coordinate as a calendar, and there are lovely little graves scattering the countryside. The rest I'm not quite sure about it was really neat to see!

I went on the Jack the Ripper tour lastnight! It was really intense....whew. I figured out who it was though, so you can all rest. Our tour guide was really well spoken and led us around London for a good hour and a half retracing Jack the Ripper's steps, and the places where the women were found. It makes your mind start running, a good ol fashioned mystery...nancy drew anyone?

Today we took a class trip to Lloyd's Of London....I could definitely see myself working there or at least doing their 18 month graduate program (yes I've already looked up applying, you have to be first in line, right mom?). This place is very neat. Everyone that was working there looked about 24-30, incredibly trendy and looked as if they were doing something important. Even if they weren't doing anything at least they looked the part. Lloyds is a very interesting company!

I'm so excited we leave for Paris tomorrow! Don't worry I'll be taking TONS of pictures of the Eiffel tower and everything. I'll bring my computer and I promise to be better at updating.

I miss all of you!!

xoxo.

Chipotle, OTB, Delias, or anything.. I'm craving mexican food!

Hello everyone! Looks like I've fallen behind a little bit on my blogging! I've just had a busy few days. But that's the point of this trip right?! Well as a group we went to the "football game" aka soccer. It was pretty cool I actually just realized that I haven't ever been to anything professional other than baseball and basketball....not even football, is that anti-american? The game was fun, REALLY long. But an experience that I think we all should try. It's really loud, almost like an aggie game, constant cheering from the sides, and yelling it was interesting! No where near like the BU games. Anyway they next day (Saturday) a few of us actually went to a polo match! Now that was neat. We hopped in a taxi and about 20 minutes later we were pulling in to this country club with everyone wearing white jeans, little families set out with picnics, it was just like I had imagined. We even rediveted (the spelling is wrong here..think pretty woman) the field! It was a four team tournament so we watched about 2 and a half games and then decided to head back! We got stuck with a taxi driver that had not a clue about this city. It took us forever to get back, at least we had established a flat rate before we got in! WHEW! After that Tara, Taylor, and I decided we wanted to see Harry Potter. We are about the only ones left on the trip that haven't seen it. We went all out! We went to the Empire theatre in Leicester Square, the theatre is actually in the movie. Guess who's nerdy idea that was?.....mine of course. It was really a good movie. I can't wait for the next one! I'm pretty exhausted today and have class at 5 so I'm taking it slow today, doing homework and such... not fun I know.

We are going to Paris this next weekend, I'm so excited!

I miss you all so much. (I'm a little homesick..can someone send me some overnight mexican food? please and thank you!)

Jaguar....yes please.

hello family and friends!

I miss one day and I feel like I've been away forever. Yesterday and today have been two good days here in London! Yesterday we went on a school "field trip" if you will to Birmingham (not Alabama) to see the Jaguar car factory. By the way it's not pronounced "JagWIRE" it's pronounced " Jagyouare," there's a little trivia for you! The factory is pretty astounding, they're incredibly efficient. First we took the train, did I mention that we got "first class" train tickets...the truth about why BGB cost so much is coming to the surface now. So we were on the train were served breakfast and before we knew it we were there.

We all loaded into taxis and headed for the plant. Guess who got the little kids seat facing backwards....yep, story of my life. "You're small they tell me..... I'm also 20 not 6!!"Anyway bigger news than that on the taxi, there was a rather large bullet poking out from under the seat that I spotted. I very quietly let everyone know.. DO NOT make this guy mad. We arrived safely though (so moo don't worry, I would have put the Buffy on him). We got there and watched a little video on the cars and then broke into groups to go through the factory. Oh we were distributed these lovely neon vests and alien looking headsets... so cute. But we followed around our tour guide for about an hour and a half learning about the different processes that the car goes through from start to finish. It's pretty interesting. Most of the work is all done by robots and they have very little expense when it comes to labor. The robots in reality didn't even cost that much. About 60,000 pounds. Which over time if you compare to how much you would have to spend on people doing these jobs, the time lost by people doing it and many more opportunity costs, this makes a LOT of sense. Anyway we learned about the car, the 14 colors they offer, the fact that the entire bottom half is only connected to the frame by 28 rivets (shadyyyy), I can not endorse this product because of that buttt.... we also learned the robots are from Sweden and that most of the car is made by Volvo ( I'm just full of trivia today). Anyway over all it was a really neat experience. Here some inside info for any of you looking to buy one of these. They sell from about 65,000 pounds to 75,000 pounds all custom made yet they only cost about 35-38000 pounds to make... mark up anyone??? We got home and then I had to do lovely homework! It's killing me, no slack. ( I know you're happy Dad).

Today we had class and then Tara, Taylor and I left for Topshop. We have one in NY but it's AMAZING. They have not one, not two, but three floors of clothes.But out of all that I was froogle and got one shirt (black of course, and a pair of jcrewesque earrings)

Also, we went to Tezenis.HUGE sale. Today was a very productive day. Now the only problem was it was hotter than Texas in Topshop today. I don't know what the deal was but they were trying to drop costs with not using air.... whew! Soooo being the innovative little bunny I am... I was wearing jeans, tall boots a tank and a black shirt over it, and a scarf. I was ridiculously hottt. We are going to a Wembley soccer match tomorrow btw Spain andd Tottenham Hotspur pretty much everyone on the trip is going tomorrow after class and I thought it'd be a good experience, I've actually never been to a soccer game. I'm really excited about this! I'll take tons of pictures and don't worry I already asked to see if I'm in high risk of getting trampled and beat up. Nope! It's supposedly a "friendly" match??? Is that possible,when it comes to sports I don't know... But I'll be there look for me on TV!

I love you all dearly and miss you so much. I'll upload pictures tomorrow and tell you all about the game and my trip.

xo.

Rayhill Castle sounds a little better than Windsor Castle to me

Every morning I wake up.....before I
put on my makeup.....I'll say a little prayer for youuuuu (have fun having that stuck in your head all day from now on) So unfortunately all this Baylor tuition money and I can't read a schedule. So sikkkke, Jaguar is actually scheduled for tomorrow, early tomorrow that is..yay. Today was an adventure in itself! I had class and then I hooked up with a friend and her class and tagged along to Windsor Castle.I don't know about y'all but for some reason I didn't really think castles were I guess "real." Every fairy tale,dream, prince and princess story could have all taken place in this very castle. It was unreal. I had to keep telling myself to pay attention this isn't a dream, someone actually lives here. The queen lives there pretty much every weekend still so we weren't allowed in all of the castle but A LOT of it. There are magnificent paintings everywhere, amazing collections of battle memorabilia. Objects from far away lands and treasures. The inside of the castle is decorated to a T. The most intense over the top, Gold leaf encrusted, patterned wall paper, huge rugs and chandeliers bigger than my car in every room. There are so many rooms in the house that I couldn't even imagine how much it cost to fill them. They didn't allow us to take pictures in there no matter how hard I tried there was a guard at every corner scoping us out waiting to snatch our cameras at any sight of a flash. One of the first rooms we went into was a HUGE dollhouse that had been built not for a child but for one of the queens. This queen collected miniature "things" so artists from around the world, authors, cloth makers, painters,drawers and everyone made this house that has real miniature replicas of their original art. It was phenomenal.I snuck a few of course but I suppose this will give you reason to come visit for yourself. I was so amazed by this place, it really didn't seem real at all. I could definitely see myself with one of those. Nana, I got your souvenir here! I got to take the "britrail" today. My first experience on a train. These things FLY. How they stay on the tracks, I have no idea. I was talking to one of my professors and he told me the "slow" ones average around 80 but the fast ones can go up to 160.... where's that one?! We got there and looked around for three hours and then headed back! I took a little nap...oh it was wonderful. It had been raining all day! (I was dry though no worries! My boyfriend equipped me with an adorable umbrella before I left, I'm a lucky girl) After my nap I did a little reading for class and now it's almost time to go to bed here already! Crazy with this time difference I know!

Tomorrow is Jaguar! I'm really excited... maybe I'll meet someone really neat, network and get a job here so everyone can come visit me! (you never know)

I love you all!

To Texas and back.

Who would have thought that an educational tour through the London parliament would be so much fun. It's such a huge, beautiful well "fortress." We began by waking up earlier than usual to make the "tube" so we'd get there on time...it was a close call, you try getting 80 college students dressed and ready and on a train early on a Monday morning... exactly, I didn't think so. Once inside we had to go through security check and you have to get your pictures taken for you temporary ID card. A few people go before me and I catch on to what's going on. As soon as you step even a toe on this little black mat the guy snaps your picture. Some people were fixing their hair, talking, sneezing, looking at their shoes, just any awkward stance and this guy got it. (I think he enjoyed his job way more than we realize....) but of course being the little turkey I am I get up to the mat and hop on in a full blown pose.....beat him at his own game. We then walked in through the main hall that mind you was massive, if anyone has seen harry potter.... you get the idea. Supposedly when the king saw this great hall he said that it wasn't fit to be a great hall it was only big enough for a bedroom.....he had to of been an only child or something. (no comment moo) We toured and got to go inside all the chambers and here how they decided things and all sorts of really interesting information. I really find it interesting with how open they are about everything with their public. Every debate is posted over the internet and the public is able to come in and watch each one live for free if they'd like. I think I kind of like that, America take note! Afterwards we headed back to our rooms because we had class at 2 that we had to finish some homework for. Class went by fairly quick and then a group of us decided we needed to visit the TEXAS EMBASSY. We fly all the way to Europe and where do we want to go? Somewhere where they at least serve chips and salsa....imagine that. I shared some much needed nachos. They were pretty good for "London Nachos." There were baylor liscense plates and a baylor flag and we even met a group of people that are aggies! Small world. If I've learned anything so far on this trip, this is such a small world. Tomorrow we have another trip planned but this time to the Jaguar plant, now this is going to be really neat I hope. I'll let you know!

I hope everyone is doing well and is having a good week.

P.S Highlight of the day I found somewhere that sells Dr.Pepper! LIFE IS COMPLETE!

xo.