England by Hiram

Today, we arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. The trip here began with an overnight train ride in a sleeper car. We were all bustling with excitement as we boarded the train car. For many of us, including myself, it was our first time on a train like that. The rooms were small but not uncomfortable and we were bouncing between each space trying to get a feel for our surroundings. We were aware that we had to be up early in the morning, prepared for the day, so we all tried very hard to turn in early. That was a difficult task for me because I felt like I was going to sleep on Christmas Eve with the level of excitement that was bubbling inside me. The train gently rocked me to sleep and I woke to knocking on our door with the train workers serving us morning tea. The sun was shining through the windows and as we unloaded the car the first thing I saw was the large silhouette of a castle-like structure on the horizon. I would come to find out this was a common theme in Scotland. One of the...

Today was our first full day in London which began with a nice light breakfast in the youth hostel. Once everyone was met, we made our way to the underground where we boarded the tube that would take us to Westminster. As soon as we emerged from the underground station, string us right in the face was Big Ben. It was surreal standing in one of the most iconic cities in the world with one of its most renowned landmarks right in front of me. Then, right around the corner was the sacred and beautifully ornate Westminster Abbey. Built in 960 A.D. and then rebuilt in the 1500s, this immaculate place of worship has stood strong and proud as a Church of England and still is used for services. Somehow the inside of the church is even more intricate and magnificent than the exterior, with all of the glorious memorials, grave sights, and sculptures made from the most extravagant stones and metals. It’s amazing to me how structures such as Westminster Abbey have prevailed through hundreds of year...

April 26th: The morning began with a charming breakfast at several different cafés for those of us who braved the morning air and worthwhile lack of sleep with Paul. Megan, Hanna, and I stopped at a café and ordered drinks. As we opened them to reveal their contents, we all agreed that they reflected our personalities. Megan: a creamy and delicate base with dark chocolate swirls and flings of powder on top. Me: Milky white chocolate bubbles below light pink and pearly marshmallows around freckles of chocolate. Hannah: a flat pool of mocha. We rejoined our traveling family to delight upon pastries and listen to some techno remix in a cute coffee shop. Hannah led us, afterward, to the home of Shakespeare’s birth and early life. On the small town’s horizon, she gestured to a jester holding the two mask of comedy and tragedy. Although the comical character himself represents comedy, he is written into most of Shakespeare’s creations including his tragedies. The human condition, lik...

Today is my 22nd birthday and I will be spending it London! The group starts off the day leaving Stratford and boards a train for London. I like riding the trains. We don’t have that opportunity back in the states. They move fast and I get a great opportunity to experience the beautiful scenery of the U.K. Along the way, everything is a vivid green here and there are fields and pastures with sheep and cattle everywhere. I have never seen so many sheep in my life and I’ve had my fair share seeing farm animals growing up on a farm, myself. We arrive at London and it is a busy city. It reminds me of New York City. It still gets to me-- seeing people driving on the rights side of the car and driving on the opposite side of the road than we do back home. The cars here are mostly similar colors of black, grey, or dark blue. There aren’t many bright colored cars. The police cars here are neon yellow and easy to see unlike home. London is more modernized than the other places we have been t...

Demetria “Meech” McCulloh 24 April 2017                   # issablogentry I didn’t feel before I do now Inspired At ease Deserving I didn't feel before I do now Lost in the clouds Peace in this unknowing English clouds are more fluffy Wilderhope Clouds are touchable Always dreamed of being surrounded by clouds Engulfed in white like it’s my wedding day Floating Breathing Resting This is more than I expected Yet everything I’ve dreamed I didn't feel before I do now Wilderhope youth hostel, Wilderhope’s youth hostel’s view, has made me at peace. It has made me realize that it’s time to dream bigger. I’ve touched the clouds now. I have to reach higher than that. I was grateful since the day I found out I was going on the trip but the thoughts, the thankfulness, the reflection and the inspiration that just being able to see Wilderhope in person, in the flesh, with my own physical eyes was life changing for me. The...

Today, after a few relaxing days in Stratford-upon-Avon, we arrived in London. Being a massive city and tourist attraction, it is definitely a change of pace from the past few days. In Stratford-upon-Avon, I felt comfortable walking the streets, but here, I catch myself hurrying my steps and paying more attention to staying with the eh group than to the sights themselves. There is so much to see and I already feel as through I am missing them, and it is not even our full first day here! Maybe I am just over-reacting. It is very possible. I am known to do that. I am going to keep an open mind regarding London. Who knows? Maybe I will end up loving it like I did with Stratford (even though I loved it since we stepped off the bus). Maybe London is an acquired taste. I just have to give it a chance. Maybe I will end up finding it magical and never want to return to the USA. Besides, I am sitting in the basement on the concrete floor while writing this as my laundry swirls round and round...

On our second day at Wilderhope Manor, we had nothing to do so we did a whole lot of nothing. The weather was perfect: the sun peaked in between rolling clouds, the wind fluttered but didn’t bite. The grass was moist with dew and washed the mud off of our boots, and the fields of rapeseed (bright yellow crops that yield oil) continued for miles upon miles like golden patches on a giant green quilt. Today the As You Like It group (Abbie, Mark, Savannah, and Dana) performed their play with a bunch of stations that each revealed themes of the play, but with fun twists. They really made you think about what the characters were going through and how they were feeling. Our first station was a dating profile and we got to draw and write about AYLI characters. Second was tug-of-war, in which the rope immediately snapped in half on poor Jessica who must be stronger than she thinks! Finally, we played a version of Ghosts in the Graveyard in which we had partners to protect. Lisa and I were par...