Journal Entry #9
August 29, 2002
Hey guys! It was a beautiful Thursday over here! Today was my day off and I chose to go into London on my own to check things out. Shelagh Klein (my host mom, tour guide, chef extraordinaire, and many other things...) suggested that I begin with a plan before heading into the city. So, I picked out a couple sites that I wanted to see and set out on my trek.
I took a train from Walton into London's Waterloo Station, which takes right around 25 minutes. I hit the city running and made my way across the Thames and into the heart of things. It is still very much tourist season, so there are people EVERYWHERE! In fact, last time we were in the city, I gave Megan, the wife of Chris our youth minister, a hard time, because she made some comment like... "Well, I'll just be glad to come back here in a couple months when all these tourists will be gone!" She has lived here just under a year and she is sounds like a local! Ha ha ha!
I headed over to Westminster Abbey and paid the 6 pounds to go inside. Well worth the money. What incredible history! I mean, to us Americans, who are used to time pretty much "beginning" around 1776, it's hard to comprehend a church being built there around 1090. Absolutley amazing! And the people who are memorialized and buried there.... Chaucer, Handel, kings and queens. Very cool.
After sitting down in the middle of the Quire area of the church and taking it all in.... imagining the major events that have taken place in that very room, I headed out and walked down to the War Cabinet Room Museum. Okay, if any of you out there enjoy history, this was incredible! So interesting. Basically, Winston Churchill and his cabinet ran WWII out of the basement of this building and after the war, they just got up and walked out of there, never to return. They sealed up the building, because of the top secret nature of its contents and then at some point, some people came along and made it into a museum. So, the very same rooms, with all of the same furniture and papers and everything is just as it was, only now you can tour through it. I loved it. And I know that my dad will love it as well when he comes to visit.
After that museum, I went down to Leicester Square and decided to take in a movie. So, there I was.... watching Spiderman in London. I just can't get over that I'm actually here.
I'm having a great time-- lots of new experiences. For those of you who wonder.... I do miss you. I think of you guys back "home" all the time. "Home" is kind of an interesting concept for me these days. There is always Illinois and that will always be where my family and home church is, but now there are so many of my good friends out and about.... literally all over the world! China, Tennessee, California, Peru, North Carolina, Missouri, Romania, Georgia, , New York, Louisana, Virginia, Texas, D.C., and the list goes on.... So many of you that I feel very "at home" with and I miss all you guys! But, at the same time, I am beginning to feel a sense of "at home-ness" here. Even though I have only been here for 2 weeks, I can already tell that the friends that I am making here will be the kind that are kept for a lifetime. Yes mom, they are truly wonderful people! There is no need to worry! I love you guys! Take care and check in when you get the chance. Peace.
The Four ICC Interns:
Sarah, Dave, Alisha
and Me
@ Windsor Castle
