New blog

Why hello there!

I've decided to start a new blog to talk about everything else (I want to keep this blog specifically about my time in Bath). No pressure, but feel free to subscribe to/follow it! You can also have it sent to your email, just like this one. http://thelittlesnicketlass.blogspot.com/

Thanks for being such lovely readers!

The End

Well, this is it. I’ve been back in the States for a little over a week, and ever day I have done everything possible to avoid writing this post (*cough cough* hours of Netflix *cough cough*). I’m not quite ready to say goodbye yet, but I’m not sure if I ever will be, so here it goes.

There were many wonderful things about my last few days in Bath: spending time with my friends, Final Tea with the entire program, and the anticipation of free time and seeing my family. However, there were also lots of less than wonderful things: primarily finals (I do not like timed essays. Let’s leave it at that) and, you know, leaving.

This mix of good and bad is something that I feel I need to focus on. As time pushes me further and further away from Bath, I am only going to remember it more and more fondly. But every day there were things I liked and things I didn’t, things that made me want to stay forever and things that made me want to leave immediately. I tended to only put the glossy fun parts on this blog, but there were plenty of things that I didn’t like as well. But this is true of my college, of being a homeschooler, of everything—such is life, yes?

I’m not saying that I had a miserable time or anything—in fact, quite the opposite. I just think that it is important to remember my experience how it really was, with all of the downs and the ups. That being said, I know I will remember my experience abroad forever. Bath helped me try new things and gave me friends I know I will have for a very, very long time. Bath let me write papers on my favorite topics and see so many places I had desperately wanted to see. Bath made me (a little) less scared of flying and helped me become a significantly more independent person.

Thank you all for listening. I’ve really loved keeping this blog and sharing my experiences with you. Who knows, maybe I’ll start another one?

The Final Weeks

In an effort to procrastinate finishing my paper and studying for finals, I figure it's time to update the blog. 

I've been hesitant to write this post because it will be one of my last while in England. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it's that time of the semester: one week until I am home! There are lots of things I'm looking forward to (like my family and my books and Netflix and nice libraries and thick sweaters) and lots of things I'm already starting to miss here (like my housemates and all of the history here and my routines and, you know, England), but mostly I'm trying not to think too much about leaving. So, instead of some deep analytical, soul-searching post, here are some things I've been up to since I last posted (I'll save the deep post for next time).

Part 1: Cotswolds trip

A few weekends ago most of my program went on a day trip to the Cotswolds, a region of England relatively near to Bath. We took a short walk up to Broadway Tower, where the view looked like this:

Then we took a long walk into the town, across fields and fields, most of which were occupied by sheep like this one: 

Part 2: Fantasies of Youth study trip

Last Friday my children's literature class took a study trip to London! Our first stop was a Harry Potter walking tour. Our tour guide, who sounded and behaved a bit like Moaning Myrtle, led us to several minor film locations by having us follow her wand. For real (proof below).

Here is my class on the Millennium Bridge in London, with me awkwardly trying not to be too tall:

Then we went to the Museum of Childhood, which was super cool and had a special exhibit about fantasy. And there were doors. TO NARNIA. 

There were also walls that featured Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Basically, I had died and gone to heaven.

I desperately want my room to have walls full of these illustrations.

Part 3: My friend Abby comes to visit!

The next day, my lovely friend Abby came to visit for a few days. We had a wonderful time and it was a perfect break! Just what we needed.

We went to the Roman Baths

and observed how the Christmas Market had taken over the city.

My housemates and I also introduced Abby to film adaptations of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey (in Clarendon Villas? What a surprise!) and the wonders of the Hedgehog Cake.

 We visited Stonehenge

and ran into two other William Smith students at the Assembly Rooms/Fashion Museum (and made it into This Week in Photos on the HWS website)! 

I also finally tried a Sally Lunn bun, which is famous in Bath

Part 4: Stratford-upon-Avon

The careful reader may recall that I visited Stratford with my Shakespeare class earlier in the semester. Well, I was lucky enough to get to go back! My entire program took a three-day trip to Stratford this past week. We stayed in small B&Bs, and I roomed with one of my lovely housemates. Our room had a fantastic window seat (we all know my deep passion for window seats)!

We saw two plays while we were there. The first play we saw was called Written on the Heart, and it was about the creation of the King James Bible. Although I found the history hard to follow, the questions it brought up about language and literature and translation and religion were really interesting. The next night we saw Measure for Measure. My Shakespeare class had studied Measure for Measure, and that morning we had performed selected scenes from the play for the rest of the program (I played Pompey,  a tapster and pimp. I know, I know). The Swan Theatre, where we saw the production, is very small and has a thrust stage, and I sat in the second row on stage left! It was the best theatre experience of my life. I had never been that close to a performance before--to be able to see all the actors facial expressions clearly and to have them interact with us (not always in a flashy way--sometimes just occasional eye contact) was incredible. While I didn't find that this production of Measure for Measure correlated with how I saw the play academically, it was a great show--really funny!--and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Fangirl moment: a few of us also had an awkward actor encounter! We were walking to visit Shakespeare's grave (see below) and we were right near the theatre when we passed this man who looked kind of familiar. The four of us looked at him and he looked at us and there was this awkward moment of "you look kind of familiar" glances before we passed him. We then had a moment of awkward squealing within his hearing range when we confirmed with each other that it was actually the actor who played the Duke, Raymond Coulthard (we weren't positive at first because he had glasses on and was carrying a child). He also played Frank Churchill in the Kate Beckinsale version of Emma:

On a more serious note, we then payed our respects to Shakespeare's grave. 

We also visited his birthplace, which has a pretty cool exhibit and lovely (albeit small) grounds.

 

On our last day, our program stopped at Warwick Castle on the way home, which was cool but would have been cooler if it hadn't been a very blustery day.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these snapshots of my final weeks here! I hope I'll post at least once more soon. 

This Post Comes To You In Five Parts

Part 1: Fun times!

When my Shakespeare class went on a study trip to Stratford a while back, we found a spot set up for Nine Men’s Morris, which is referenced in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We obviously had to take a group photo.

 Here are my roommate Chelsea and I at Glastonbury!

Here I am with a bunch of friends on the 5^th of November, bundled against the cold English air and ready to watch the fireworks. The idea of celebrating the defeat of the Gunpowder Plot by exploding things into the air seems bizarre to me (can anyone explain that one?). We went home and watched QI and V for Vendetta (which I was kind of disappointed with, unfortunately).

A lot of my friends here are just as obsessed with Downton Abbey as I am, so for the series 2 finale we decided to have a party involving tea and lots of delicious food!

Part 2: Movies and things!

I have been lucky enough to have seen several movies in the past month or so. Here are some very brief reviews:

The Three Musketeers in 3D (starring Matthew McFadyen, Orlando Bloom, and other less important people): not terribly faithful, kind of running with the weird style of Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes (bleh), but surprisingly funny, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (starring Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and a lot of Harry Potter cast members) (scene with Dobby, Aberforth, Sirius, and Olivander all in the same room!): Bleak, unpleasant, and confusing. But, some of the best shots I have ever seen (a tiny clip of the best is in this trailer from around 1:32-1:34, with Benedict Cumberbatch).

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in 3D (Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig): I never read the originals, but it was wonderful, funny, and utterly entertaining. The best opening credits since The Incredibles.

Part 3: Class registration!

I got all of the classes I wanted for the spring! I was definitely worried about registering abroad, especially since Peoplesoft (the system through which we register) tends to crash whenever my class tries to register. But everything went perfectly! I’m taking

Tibetan Mandala Painting

Feminism Ethics and Knowledge

Experience of War in Literature

Bible as Literature (after much debate between that, Milton, and Intro to Lesbian and Gay Studies)

My schedule is unfortunately lacking in the super interesting social sciences, but all of these classes look really cool (and I’ll be finishing my goals and almost done with my major after that semester)!

Part 4: The relatives!

From the 30^th to the 9^th two of my lovely grandparents came to visit! My aunt Jenny also visited for part of that time. It was great to get to visit with them! I finally got to visit the Royal Crescent (this is one of the big tourist attractions. It’s also where Anne Elliot chases after Captain Wentworth after his re-proposal in the 2008 Persuasion)

and the Assembly Rooms (significant to Northanger Abbey) and the Fashion Museum, where I tried on a corset and hoop skirt.

Part 5: Jane Austen study trip!

On Friday, my Jane Austen class went on our study trip to Steventon, Chawton, and Winchester. It was a really fun trip—I love our tutor and my classmates and it was really cool to get to see where Jane Austen spent time! Here is a mini photo tour.

First we visited St Nicholas church in Steventon, which is the church that Jane Austen's father was reverend of. Both Steventon in general and the church itself were super tiny! 

Then we went to Chawton House Library, which has been turned into a library for women's writing. The house was fantastic, with lots of dark wood paneling and cushy seating and portraits on the walls.

This is what used to be the stables. Now it's where visiting scholars stay. I think I know what my life goal should be.

This is Chawton Cottage, where Jane Austen did a lot of her writing and revising. 

Finally we went to Winchester Cathedral, where Austen was buried. There were several boxes in the cathedral which apparently have the bones of kings, queens, and other important people in them. One of them is said to have the bones of Cnut, the viking warrior who became king of Denmark, Norway, England, and parts of Sweden.

And then we finally saw where Jane Austen was buried. 

It was great to be able to have a touring experience that went so full circle--where she grew up, where she did most of her writing, and where her life ended.

Fictional characters and fall break

Hello wonderful blog readers!

After getting back in the swing of classes, I finally have a moment to update you about my fall break. This will mostly consist of pictures (this seems to be becoming a tradition), except for a few sadly undocumented occasions, since not only does paper-writing time approach again, but we’re starting new books for all three of my classes (Northanger Abbey, Measure for Measure, and Northern Lights!) and the Bath Film Festival starts on Thursday. Anyway, here is my break in pictures. I hope you enjoy! (P.S. Two important notes. First, just for clarification, I spent the first 5 1/2 days with my dad in London, Bath, and Glastonbury, and the last 2 1/2 days with my friend Emma in Edinburgh. Second, I am apparently unable to keep my eyes open in any photograph ever taken of me. I think it might be an illness of some kind.)

On the October 22nd I met my dad in London, where we promptly visited Kensington Garden and (most importantly) the Peter Pan statue. This was one of the places that was top on my list to visit, so you can imagine how excited I was. Also, it was so lovely to be around so much green! The area of Bath that I live in is pretty close to the city center, and since everything is made of Bath stone and there are very few gaps between buildings, I've become accustomed to how little green there is. It's definitely a change from New England, but walking through Kensington Garden was a perfect reminder of fall.

That same afternoon, in an attempt to keep away Dad's jet lag, we decided to go to the Doctor Who Experience. Oh. My. God. There was a lot of nerdy fangirl squealing that went on in my brain during break, but this was indescribably fantastic. I could talk about it for hours and hours, but to attempt to sum up my Experience:

David Tennat's suit!! David Tennant's suit!!

And here I am, standing on the 9th Doctor's tardis!

                                   

The next day, we visited 221B Baker Street. Definitely the best museum about a fictional character that I have ever been to. 

In our many wandering walks attempting to navigate around London, we stumbled upon one of my favorite publishing companies! We also walked past the ITV building, which (as a Downton Abbey fan) I was pretty excited about. Unfortunately it just looked like a tall building.

We then went to the British Library. Definitely the best birthday ever. We went to the exhibit of the 'Treasures of the British Library' and saw a Gutenberg Bible and an edition of Aesop's Fables printed by William Caxton and one of Jane Austen's notebooks and a handwritten Jane Eyre and Beethoven's tuning fork and handwritten Beatles' lyrics and the Lindisfarne Gospels and so much more. We could have literally stayed there until we died.

There was also that really cool doorway, and there was also a model printing press in the basement.

We also briefly stopped at the British Museum, but we were tired from walking so much and so impressed by the Library that nothing could compare. We did see the Rosetta Stone, which was interesting (it was smaller than I thought it would be!), but unfortunately the artifacts in the 300-110 CE room (all of the Anglo-Saxon/Viking/Sutton Hoo things) were out for conservation.

The next day, we waited in line for 45 minutes in an attempt to get tickets to see Ralph Fiennes in The Tempest. Once we failed at that, we attempted to get tickets to see War Horse. Once we failed at that, we attempted to get tickets for The Woman in Black. We were successful! We ended up getting seats in the fourth row for that night's performance. It was completely terrifying (other audience members actually screamed out loud--it was nice to know I wasn't being overly sensitive) and fantastic.

After we got our tickets, we went to Westminster Abbey. It was beautiful and moving and I won't lie, our two English major hearts broke a little bit when we got to Poet's Corner.

Then we headed towards the Globe, and practically next door is the Millennium Bridge! This is briefly featured in the 6th Harry Potter film, when death eaters attack muggles on this bridge, twisting it and making it collapse. We walked over it on the way back and as someone who is not a fan of heights or death eater attacks, I was a little nervous. Suffice it to say that we survived. 

Anyway, we went to the Globe, which was incredible! The tour of the theatre was definitely one of the highlights of our time in London.

We also briefly stopped by Dr. Johnson's house, which my dad thought was excited about.

And then it was back to Bath! I finally made it to the Roman Baths, which were cool although a little hard to navigate since it was half term for a lot of school kids and there were lots of families wandering about.

The next day, we went to Glastonbury with my lovely roommate Chelsea. It was so incredibly beautiful! 

Here we are at the site of King Arthur's tomb. This is the real reason we went to Glastonbury. 

 We also climbed up the Tor. Be impressed with us. I was pretty positive we would die, but I was proved wrong.

Then sadly it was time for my dad to depart, and on to Edinburgh I went. My friend Emma and I took the train from King's Cross (I know!!) four hours north to Edinburgh (so close to Hogwarts! Only an hour more to go... Sigh). It was doubly exciting to visit King's Cross because not only is it so important to the wizarding world, but it's also a main location in one of my other favorite books, The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson. Anyway, in Edinburgh we saw lots of cool things, like a banned books exhibit at the National Library of Scotland and Robert Louis Stevenson's riding boots at the Writer's Museum and Edinburgh Castle. 

And of course we went  to the Elephant House Cafe. Despite their inaccurate nickname, it was still super cool! 

  

The table we were sitting at had drawers stuffed with notes from people who had visited previously. I particularly liked this one.

And here is Edinburgh bright and early on the morning we left.

I obviously couldn't go to King's Cross and without taking the awesome/awkward photo! We did have a bit of trouble finding it, but we felt like that was appropriate.