First Homework Assignment...Check

So in our “London Walks” class we have a book of different “walks” we can do. They give you directions on which tube to take, which sites to see, etc. We have to complete one each week and today I did my first one! I went and saw the Kensington Gardens and it was absolutely beautiful. The entrance we used first takes you along Embassy road, also known as Millionaires Row…and for good reason. The street was lined with these huge mansions, each belonging to a different embassy and each displaying their Country’s. The road ends by taking you to Kensington Gardens. We saw all sorts of statues…William the III, Peter Pan, Prince Albert, and more. I especially liked the Albert monument because I just watched “Young Victoria” last weekend and became Victoria and Albert’s biggest fan! It was so cool and I learned all sorts of new things! I also can’t get over how green it was in the park…The trees and flowers were gorgeous…and it didn’t rain at all so we lucked out J after we finished doing the walk, we went and explored the museum of Natural History. And let me first say that I am so grateful Dinosaurs are extinct. Ah I was even scared of the models! I am excited to go back to the museum though because it was way too big for us to even see a quarter of it in our time there.

Anyways, we did a little more site seeing and then came back to the center for a meeting and dinner. Following dinner a Bishop from one of the ward’s we will be serving in came and met with us. The top things 3 things I learned: 1. Never begin a conversation by introducing yourself…simply comment on the weather. For example: “My it’s dark out here”…this will help you gauge whether or not the person wants to talk to you 2. Rather than discussing the size of an object (like in America “So how big is your TV?”) discuss age…it is much more meaningful to own something extremely old than it is to own something big 3. Don’t try to mimic a British accent…they will know you are faking!

Those were some pretty useful tips…I feel like people see a gigantic blinking sign over my head that says “spot the American tourist”—one of these days I will blend in! Welp, that’s it for tonight, I think I hear my pillow calling my name (in a British accent)…