Good morning beautiful readers!
I would like to start this post out by apologizing for not posting in a few weeks. My maymester in Oxford was EXTREMELY time consuming. It was absolutely amazing, but left little time for writing! That being said, I just want to share a couple of experiences that I had on my study abroad in England!
Story One: A Wedding in Stratford
Naturally, when studying Shakespeare one should always take several visits to Stratford-Upon-Avon. I saw three plays by the Royal Shakespeare Company (Cymbeline, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and The Alchemist), visited the house in which Shakespeare was born, and saw his grave… this is where the story gets interesting. You see, Shakespeare is buried at the foot of the alter in a church. We did not realize this. Halfway down the outside Isle, my friends and I noticed the minister at the end. We look behind us and sure enough there was the wedding party! Why was no one saying anything to us?! WE WERE INTERRUPTING THE WEDDING PARTY… AND NOBODY CARED. Talk about a chill wedding.
Today’s Thought Provoking Question: Why would you want to get married beside Shakespeare’s grave? He wasn’t even buried with his head! Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Shakespeare. But I don’t wanted to get married in front of his headless remains.
Story Two: The Harps
This story also takes place in Stratford and happens to be on the Queen’s birthday. In England, the Queen’s birthday is celebrated EVERYWHERE. So my group was just casually walking down the street when we were invited into a garden party for the Queen’s birthday! After looking around and admiring the scenery of the garden, a woman asked if we would like to learn how to play the harp! Of course we wanted to learn how to play the harp! The best part is that we learned how to play Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. Needless to say, it was an epic experience.
Story Three: The Globe
When I went to London in high school the only thing on my wish list that I didn’t get to do was go to The Globe Theatre — Shakespeare’s theatre. This time around, I not only got to see The Globe — I was able to see a play! The Taming of the Shrew — It was a phenomenal production of a terrible play. The cast was very interactive with the audience, and the audience was full of fun people! The best part though was definitely the musicians. They were interactive with the audience, hilarious, and extremely talented. Overall, it was an English Teacher’s dream.
As you can probably tell, I had the trip of a life time. There is something about traveling that seems to remind a person of who they are and why they are alive. It is truly incredible. Traveling gives the soul a reboot. After spending a couple of days at home with the dogs and family, I am yet again at Hartsfield-Jackson preparing for another flight. New York City here I come!
Jessica McLeod-Waddell, MA, MEd, CPCC 