Saturday, 2-10-96
5:50 PM London
11:50 AM E-Town
God gave us the ability to feel… Oh, the varieties of feelings & emotions I have had the past few days! Thursday I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral w/ my architecture class! (Where Prince Charles & Princess Di were married…) We have been studying Christopher Wren & went to see his greatest work! We even climbed to the very top for a breathtaking view of the city of London! (This was another of my most memorable experiences in London/the UK so far).
While up there, talking in the awesomeness of the view, Dave Herron looked over to me & said, “things like this tend to put your life in perspective…” Well said, I must say. What a cutie… The fantasy goes on… Though I now even dream about him & run into him often outside of class, I believe a dream is all is all he will ever be to me. Maybe a friend, but doubtfully more.
After St. Paul’s we toured a few more of Wren’s churches which he designed to be rebuilt after the great fire of London in 1666. Our tutor is so passionate for his work & telling us about architecture, what a delight!
Then Jill & I went to the ULU to workout! We did machines & weights for an 1 1/2 hrs.! My muscles are feeling the pain still today… Oh, the price we pay when trying to get in shape & toned!
Thurs. night I stayed in & relaxed. Friday morning I did laundry & some errands. The lady at the laundry mat seemed down. I asked her how she was before I left & she said not so well… She said her sister had passed away & that was why an old man (her uncle) dressed up had been there earlier… She said it had just been her sister & she. My heart goes out to her & her family… Though nearly a stranger, I told her I would pray for her. She seemed to be appreciative & slightly comforted… I sure know I would be devastated if anything every took my dear sister Megan from our life before she had lived a full & rewarding life…
Friday afternoon I was to meet Debbie & Alex at their hotel in Convent Garden, the “Mountbatten!” I got there a bit late, due to getting turned around when I left the tube, & they had stepped out… So I ordered a Coke & charged it to their room, as they had advised if I arrived & they were not there.
After they got back we went up to their room for them to change. I had brought them some of my favorite “digestive” cookies for a snack, along w/ some stuff for them to bring home to mom & dad for me. They had some stuff mom & dad had sent for me, including some “Kraft Cheese & Mac!” ☺︎
We tried to catch up on what I had been up to over this past month & they in the past day or so… We went to dinner at en English restaurant called “Porters.”
Well, almost back to Pembridge, after an excursion today to Hampton Court Palace & Windsor Castle… So I’ll have to pick this up later…
Until then,
CHEERS! ☺︎
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Note from Present Day Kathy: This is another entry that I’d love to jump back in time and relive, if that were possible… I recall how passionate our architecture tutor/teacher was, which enthralled our class with what he taught us and took us on field trips to see! I don’t recall much about visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral that day, so I really appreciate what I wrote about my experience and getting to see these pictures.
I also find it amusing that I was still swooning over my crush and his deep thoughts, though by then I had realized it was unlikely we’d ever be more than friends.
Seeing that I mentioned Princess Di in this entry is bittersweet, as sadly less than 2 years later she died.
I also find it funny how I talked about working out back then, as I didn’t know anywhere near what I do now about exercise, especially lifting weights and muscle soreness, having been a group fitness instructor for 13 years.
The story I shared about talking with the woman who worked at the laundry mat is another reason why I am grateful that I journaled during my semester abroad, as capturing these moments and interactions are so interesting for me to reflect on. I appreciate that I noticed the woman seemed down and thought to ask how she was doing, which led to her being willing to tell me about her sister’s death. Its a good reminder that we never know what others are going through and how, if we ask, some people will tell us how they are feeling, which allows us to be there for them during difficult times.
I recall how over the moon happy I was to see my dear friends, who were visiting, and how much fun we had together (I share more in subsequent entries)! I didn’t remember that I couldn’t get Kraft Mac & Cheese across the pond, so got a kick out of my sharing that they brought me some from my parents!
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Reminder: Unless I’ve been given permission to use people’s actual names, in most cases I’ve removed or replaced the names of the real people who were part of my journey/experience there, in effort to protect and respect their identities/privacy in my London Semester Journal entries. I will also not share details that I think and feel are too personal for anyone I interacted with, my loved ones, and me.
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Here’s the back story of My London Semester Journals from 1996, including what prompted me to revisit and decide to share them here in 2018. And here’s a list a list of the entries, which I will update as I share them.
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