Sunday, 2-18-96
9:21 PM London
3:21 PM E-Town
Just spoke w/ M & D! So good to hear their voices… Mom is doing well w/ school & the principal continues to praise her for all she has brought to the staff & students there! Dad is adjusting back to life at work, after his month home in recovery with his new knee… They spoke to Meg recently and shared some news of her.
They were going to call G & G Beisler today & promised to send my love. They also had recently spoken w/ Dynamite, who was doing fine & had enjoyed my letter.
Last night they saw a play, rather in the afternoon, I think… at Steppenwolf Theatre w/ John Malkovich. After they met up w/ two couples/old friends/neighbors from Keeney St. (one of whom were in town to give a psych presentation)! That must have been so nice for them to be w/ such old & dear friends…
This morning I went to 10:30 AM mass at Newman. There was a special celebration after mass in honor of the Chinese New Year! I stayed & tried some Chinese tea & snacks and actually mingled w/ the few, but sweet, friends I have made in the community there! ☺︎
During the mass a Chinese student explained about some of the customs & significance of the Chinese New Year… Then Fr. Tim blessed some little oranges (a traditional gift Chinese give each other for good luck for the New Year! ☺︎), which we received as we left the chapel…
I ate my “holy citrus fruit” with lunch & saved one for dinner as well! ☺︎ After mass I came back & was getting ready to go to “Speaker’s Corner” at Hyde Park, when Jenny (from next door Rm. 3) asked me what I was up to. She said she was planning to go too! So we decided to go together. We took a bus there, cuz the tube was down (at least the Central line btw. Notting Hill Gate & Marble Arch). It was nice to see the city from above ground as we traveled there!
The speakers were a riot, as they stood on their crates & preached the gospel, debated political issues, & argued about racism etc. It was both enlightening & humorous, but more of the latter… After we had our fill for our 1st visit, we walked home slowly via the fences/gates of Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens, along Bayswater Road. It was really windy & therefore cold, but otherwise a beautiful day out! The gates/fences were lined w/ street vendors displaying their various forms & pieces of art for sale! It was great to wander home leisurely, while we chatted & checked out the works of art along the way…
The rest of the afternoon & this evening I have spent trying to study for my Int’l Business mid-term tomorrow. I also am washing my socks & undies in the sink & writing a few letters & Ruth & Cheryl’s b-day cards…
Mel has also stopped by for a chat & break a few times, which is nice. I so enjoy her company & am glad we are getting to become good friends here!
Okay, as it seems, I have been somewhat procrastinating studying very much for my mid-term tomorrow…
I even took a nap before dinner, while attempting to read some articles for it…
Well, I’ll try to focus & then get a good night sleep! Lori returns from Belgium tomorrow afternoon! Though I have enjoyed the time to myself in our room this weekend, I look forward to having her back & hearing about her adventures in Brussels & Brugge… Not to mention tasting some of that yummy Belgian chocolate! ☺︎
CHEERS! ☺︎
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Note from Present Day Kathy: Love that I mention Mom and Dad going to see a play at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, as going to shows there has been something they’ve done together for as long as I can remember and still do today. When Bob and I were first married we couldn’t afford to go regularly, but if my parents saw one they thought we’d really like they’d suggest we get tickets. Eventually, about 5 years ago, Bob and I were in a place where we could afford a subscription (season tickets) to Steppenwolf and started going regularly with another couple. We enjoy seeing the variety of productions they put on there throughout the year. So far we’ve opted to go during the previews of each show, as it is cheaper. By going then we to be amongst the first to see new plays there, which is cool. We usually stay for the post-show discussion, which is offered after every show at Steppenwolf, and I always get a lot out of them. Getting to hear various fellow audience members’ perspectives helps me to process/debrief what I just saw.
There are so many awesome experiences that I have little to no recollection of, during my semester abroad, and I continue to feel grateful that I chronicled things like learning about Chinese New Year at Newman House and going to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park with one of my housemates, followed by our long/scenic walk home, in my London Semester Abroad Journals.
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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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