YES... I'm also going to school in London..

I know what you're thinking "What does Kyra do besides go awesome places and do awesome things?"  It can't be all fun and games right?  Well at ease, envious reader, I do indeed have to go to school while I'm here and there is in fact responsibility involved in this experience of mine.  I'm taking four classes which are British Politics, British Novels, British Empire History, and Shakespeare.  England is such a historical epicenter that I'm able to learn about a lot of things that we talk about in class, first hand.

My novels class is great because we get to read these famous pieces of literature then just discuss the story in depth.  The novels we will have read by the end of this course include Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, Mrs. Dalloway,  Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, and The Buddah of Suburbia.  I'm currently almost done with Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, which didn't strike my fancy at first but I can now admit it's a very captivating story and I can't wait to finish it.  Speaking of Mr. Dickens...

This (picture above) is a photo of me on the doorstep to one of the homes of Charles Dickens which happens to be just around the corner from my school building.  Like I said before, the accessibility to such famous places is one of the best parts of studying in London.  I took a tour of Dickens' house and learned a bit more about his life both privately and as a writer.  To walk up and down the very stairs that he once had, and visit the rooms where he slept, ate, and.... bathed really put into perspective what a great opportunity I have and I'm glad to be making the most of it.

My British politics class is very interesting indeed.  Politics isn't really my favorite subject, and a very complicated one at that, but the differences between what I know from living in America and comparing that to the system that Britain is interesting in itself.  Especially with the Monarchy and the history of Royal rule, learning the ways of the Parliament is an experience in itself.  Speaking of Parliament, I have visited the British Parliament (unfortunately without my camera) and saw the beautiful buildings and Big Ben all up close and personal!  We took a class trip specifically to Parliament and got to go in and watch a live debate over welfare.  We also, which I don't think I mentioned, visited the Scottish Parliament when we visited Edinburgh and watched a debate there as well.  My professor in that class is pretty brilliant when it comes to British politics so I feel like I'm learning quite a bit.

My British Empire class is on.. well.. the British Empire! I've never been too keen on history classes either (noticing a pattern?) but living in London makes this a desirable topic to learn about.  We're pretty much going through all different countries that Britain had rule over at some point in time.  I'd go into further detail but it really isn't necessary or particularly interesting to read in a blog.  Recently, as a class trip we visited Portsmouth, England where Henry VIII's famous Mary Rose ship sank and (about 30 years ago) was recovered.  Unfortunately the Mary Rose is in the process of having a special museum built for her so we didn't get to see her.  We DID however get to see/tour a couple of other famous British battle ships.  We visisted the SMS Warrior

 and...

The HMS (Her Majesty's Ship) Victory!  Led by the famous Captain Nelson who fought and died in the Battle of Trafalgar in this very ship, coming out on top with a victory over the French and Spanish.  We took a fully guided tour of this ship and saw everything from the storage areas at the bottom of the boat to the captains cabins at the very top.  After going on that tour all I have to say is... the life of a sailor was HARD.

And lastly, the course of which there was no ability of passing up (since I'm in the very roots of this subject as we speak)... Shakespeare.  This class is honest, simple, and absolutely enjoyable.  Course work includes reading the play, discussing the play, and watching the play. I've read and seen live performances in London of Comedy of Errors and As You Like It so far.  I've experienced both pub theater (which was amazing) and professional theater at an actual theater establishment.  The last play we read was The Tempest, Shakespeare's last composed play, and we watched that one in the cinema since there was a recently filmed version of the famous play.  Later in the semester we will be taking a class trip to Stratford where Shakespeare was born, as well as pay a visit to the Globe Theater which was Shakespeare's own theater where he wrote and produced many of his plays.  I feel so lucky to be able to experience Shakespeare's work this way, leaving no room to allow me to take his wonderful work for granted.
And (though unrelated the Mr. S) I also recently experience Opera for the first time... a full fledged Gilbert and Sullivan production in the heart of London.  Another fascinating event that I enjoyed.

This is a picture of the street my school is on.  I thought it'd be fun to show a picture like this so you all can see where I'm getting my edumucation!  It looks like one big building on each side with a bunch of windows but they're very much separated, each apartment being about 4 or 5 story's tall (basement to top floor).  We have one of these style buildings and it's very... homey. :)

And the above picture is of one of the massive escalators I take to get to/from tube stops on my way around London.  On my way to school, I usually have about a 10 minute walk from my home stay to my neighborhood tube stop, then about 50 minute ride on the tube (train/subway) then a trip up/down these HUGE escalators and a 10 minute walk to school.  It's a good little commute but I don't mind it very much.

Well I just wanted to give you guys kind of an idea of all this schooling jazz and what I'm doing in that sense, since doubts seem to be upon me for my educational pursuits here in London.  Last weekend I visited Bath, Stone Henge, and Salsbury and tomorrow I'm going to Paris....... Be on the look out for my next couple blogs, they should be a bit more interesting!!!

Hope all is well with everybody! Mad love to everyone who takes the time to read my things and stuff!!

-CAPTAIN KYRA:)