Oh England!

So the last couple of weekends have been, brilliant! Not only was Brad’s good friend Brennen (from Utah) in town (he just got hired for Goldman Sachs and was out here getting trained) but our friend Andrew is here alone as his wife Ann and son Tyce are already in the states for Christmas.The boys and I went for a lovely road trip, seeing sights that most people only dream of.

Our first stop was Stonehenge. WOW. What an interesting, beautiful and mysterious place. You truly grasp the well-known saying of “something is special about Stonehenge” when you go there. What I was most taken by was how these stones been there since before Christ, they weigh about 20-25 tons EACH and they still have no idea how the stones got there!

Some of the stones were from more than 200 miles away! It is just absolutely crazy to try and fathom how they got there. One story is that they were carried over by giants. Seems impossible but when you look at those things and stand on that ground anything goes!

After Stonehenge we drove to the city of Bath. As we came over the hill our eyes were filled with a sea of light yellow/orange colored buildings, houses and churches. Hundreds of buildings spreading across the whole landscape, it had the feeling of discovering some lost ancient city or something. Lots of old Roman baths are there along with an amazing Cathedral, shopping, great food and overall great atmosphere.

I can’t wait to go back there in the summer as the famous orange rock that is used for all the architecture seems to give you a warm summer feeling!

We then headed back and stopped at the famous Windsor Castle!!! HUGE! I couldn’t believe how big that thing was! The Queen actually lives there on weekends, which makes it extra exciting.

After all of our traveling adventures we ended the night with the most incredible concert. It was at Saint Martin in the Fields Cathedral and they were featuring Beethoven’s Fifth! Oh and it was in Candle Light! SOO great! Not only are you in this quiet church, that is to die for beautiful, but you are also listening to the most fulfilling music there is. The atmosphere of the whole thing is quite taking, a must do if ever coming to London

Brad has always enjoyed Classical music. In fact, instead of the normal Cd Mix full of love songs, insane melodies and bumpin beats usually given by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Brad gave me a Cd mix of all his favorite classical tunes! What can I say? He is great!

At the time I was caught off guard as it was the first mix he gave me and I was kind of expecting some cute love songs or whatever, but I came to find that there were indeed some love songs (just Classical style) and I found that I truly enjoy listening to it. I am very proud to say that I am now hooked! I can’t wait to go back there, we are trying to get tickets for the Christmas concert, it is VERY famous!

Well just another great weekend in Londie!!

...New journal, New place, New country, New life...

I still wake up and wonder why I am not in my normal bed, in my normal home, in Utah. I am still in awe as my world is full of colorful doors, black tights, double decker buses, and the sound of an accent that makes you smile every time you hear it. Yes, ladies and gents, I now wake up every morning, in flat # 9, in London.

Brad and I have been here just over a month and I can truly say that we both are happy and love this new city we call home. Ohh London town. I still can’t believe that I have the chance to be living here. Every single day I see something new, different and vibrant. I am IN LOVE with your neighborhood and everything that surrounds of our flat.

Down Anson Road ,

to the front of our house,

in through the gate,

along the pathway,

past the rose bushes,

towards the annex,

and to Flat 9, you will find...

The Barth's! in their new home, in London Town.

More to come, more to come.

First Impression of New School

Of the many interesting statistics my new school has communicated during orientation week - i.e. more female students than male students; more students from China than from any other nation - what has most intrigued me is that the London School of Economics is the most internationally diverse school in the world.

As the director of LSE, Sir Howard Davies, commented at the induction meeting, “Here we have old friends, like the Americans; new friends, like the Chinese; old enemies, like the French; and new enemies...like the French...”

The student body is represented by over 140 nations (more than the UN), most of which boast Societies (similar to school clubs) to their names -

If you are an advocate of Palestinian emancipation, you may join an already strong coalition of students following this tenor; if you tend toward the justification of the Israeli state, an association in agreement awaits your affiliation.

Marxism also has a face at LSE - its digitalized, student-generated propaganda shares the bulletin board with manifestos from the Libertarian Society.

And no matter how you think you will or will not be saved, studying at the LSE likely secures you friends-in-faith; moreover, if notions of deity and eternity, to you, hold no merit, feel free to engage in rich discussions about nothing with the Atheist and Humanist Society.

All in all, while the mere sight of this post is certain to infuse fear in my grandmothers that I am bound to return a liberal, I am happy for this unique opportunity, among my pleasant new colleagues, to vulnerably expose any “smidgens” of personal closed-mindedness.