Hello Again everyone!!
I have adopted London as my temporary home. The feeling of anxiety that I had experience when I first got here has faded away! I have become familiar with the tube system and its 11 lines, the rail system and the different bus routes that circulate around the city. Since my last post I was able to visit Stonehenge & Bath, travel to Paris, France and to attend the Jonathan Ross Show (a British comedy show).
First, I was taken by the ISA staff in a day excursion to Stonehenge & Bath. We left early in the morning and got there really fast even though we had some mechanical problems with our bus and had to change to another one. It was a great experience to be able to stand in front of Stonehenge and admire how accurate each stone is place in relation to each other. While I stood in front of it, I couldn’t help but to wonder how in the world Stonehenge had been able to withstand thousands of years of rain, wind, sun, and tourists. At the beginning of our tour the ISA staff gave us a pamphlet with information about the different theories surrounding Stonehenge. In addition, once we arrived a self-guided tour device was given to us as well. I was astonished to learn the different theories that have evolved around Stonehenge. Let me just say that I was glad to know that I wasn’t the only one with a flamboyant imagination! One of the theories is that Merlin the Magician had a giant construct Stonehenge in Ireland and then he magically transported it to England. Another theory suggests that Stonehenge was utilized as a calendar to know the seasons of the year for agricultural purposes. In my opinion I like the calendar one better. However, as a human being with my own imagination and cultural background I came up with my own theory of Stonehenge!! :D Since I am a Christian, I believe that Stonehenge was an altar made by the early inhabitants of earth to offer sacrifices to God. I mean if Noah was able to build a giant ark, then building Stonehenge was a piece of cake.
I also traveled to Paris, France with two friends that are studying abroad as well. It was amazing!! The cheese is delicious! I climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower even though I am afraid of heights! But it was worth it, because the view was incredible! Let me just tell you, if you are planning to study abroad in London, I recommend you to lay out, everything you expect to bring, then bring half of the clothes and double the money!! Europe is so accessible with the rail system and the cheap airlines that you can be in almost any part of Western Europe in 2 hours.
After I returned from Paris, the ISA staff was able to get me a free ticket to be in the audience of The Jonathan Ross Show! I was able to see many celebrities such as Sean Bean, Amir Khan, JLS, and Rizzle Kicks. I had a lot of fun, the audience plays a big role on the show, people from the audience get to choose to participate and every now and then we had to dance, clap, and yell. I had attended a similar show a couple of weeks ago, The Graham Norton Show also with the ISA staff who got me the free tickets!! It was really funny because Tom (the ISA rep) came out on the show telling an embarrassing story of his life, he had to sit on a red chair and at the end of the story the host of the show pulled a shaft that ejected Tom from the chair. In that show I got to see Judi Dench, Dev Patel, and Reese Witherspoon.
Today I’m going to see the Wicked musical, and tomorrow I am participating in an ISA excursion to Cambridge, I will tell you about it later! Bye!
Francisco Gonzalez
Classmates Connecting Cultures
London, England
Spring, 2012
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