Well chaps, tomorrow is the day. I've been packing and repacking, worrying, and repacking for the past three days. I think I've finally got the magic combination of life's necessities condensed into 56 linear inches and 40 pounds. Phew! It still seems very surreal that I will soon be across the Atlantic Ocean and in a totally new country. I'm pretty darn nervous right now--it's the anticipation that is always the antagonist! I know that once I finally land in Manchester and make it through the invasions of privacy and PTAs (Linda,*wink wink*) at customs, I'll be in the clear to have a smashing good time. I doubt that I will be able to sleep tonight, which will hopefully enable me to sleep through the majority of the 8 hour flight ahead of me tomorrow. I'll be leaving Chicago at 5:30 pm and getting into Manchester, England at 7:30 am! There's no time for jet lag! I'm pretty glad that we have two days to get situated and comfortable before having to dive into field placements and coursework--I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be academically inclined on this trip! But hey, if I have to be academically focused, why not do so in Liverpool.
I'm hoping to see as much of Liverpool, London, and Scotland as I can. Three weeks is both a very short and a very long span of time. But alas, while I'm in this time warp, I'm hoping to get my first taste of the British life. I'll be walking to my field placement each day (about a 25 minute walk each way) so it will be a great opportunity to get my bearings for the 'hood of Liverpool that we'll be living in! I tried to make a list of things I want to do while I'm there but I hardly know what to expect so any experience will be something totally new. But in any case, here are a few of the things that I hope to do:
1- Ride a red double decker bus in London
2-Get a picture on a humped zebra (a crosswalk) a la the Beatles' Abbey Road
3- See someone famous (major bonus points if said famous person is Richard Armitage)!
4-Go to the Beatles lounge/pub
5-Eat fish (ick) and chips--but you know what they say, when in Rome...
6-Pick up some cool British slang
7-See a free concert
8-See a Broadway show in London!
9-Make a friend(s) that I can keep in contact with
10-Master the pound! Currency conversion could be the death of me!
11-Score some Liverpool Football Club swag!
12-Find Platform 9 3/4
13-Be open minded and try new things!
So, yeah. I'll try to update this blog daily with entries and pictures so check back often! You can also leave me comments after the entries as well!
Next time I write, I'll be either at the airport or in England! Either way, PRAY for our group's safety!
Love you all!
-Marcy
Yep, Have fun with the TSA people..I think you can get thru with no problem, they would detain and Jail me. Also when you get your "Humped Zebra pic.. make sure you have bare feet. When the CSI team did that for the promo shot Grissom had bare feet as did one of the beatles..(Can't remember which though!)Also look for BARBIE stuff. I found some cool washcloths on line that were from Great Britian but the seller won't ship to the US so if you see some snag a few. I can pay and pay to have them shipped. Just have a Ball! I will probably never be able to travel abroad (given I have no passport and you know.. my terrorist issues with Airport security!) Be safe.. we will pray for you. Love AL
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