A few nights ago, Mikayla and I watched the film 'The Other Boleyn Girl'.  If you havn't seen it, I would recommend it.  It is about two sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, who are competing for King Henry VIII's love. 

After the movie, we were discussing what happened, and talking about Henry VIII and the Royal Family Line. Mind you, this is about 1am....
I was starting to get confused, with all the inter-marriage and stuff, so Mikayla suggested that we write it down.  We did... and that lead us to stay up till 3 in the morning, looking up the family line and trying to figure stuff out.  We eventually went through all the Kings and Queens, up until the current Queen Elizabeth.  We figured out that she is the great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grand-daughter of Henry VIII.

The next day I decided that it would be cool to rewrite all our findings out onto a nicer piece of paper... and this is what I came up with...

Please notice the random bits of history thrown in... the Mayflower, the Salem Witch Trials, the sinking of the Titanic...

Also, each family line is written to include their symbol. So the House of Tudor has the Tudor rose....

I learned so much from doing this by myself, it's ridiculous! Have you ever heard of the Gunpowder Plot? Ya... me neither. Not until now... (look it up if you don't know what it is!)

I remember when I was little, I would always get in trouble for holding my fork upside down, or holding it in a first with my hand. I was to always hold it in my right hand right side up, to sit up straight... to basically not look barbaric while I eat.

Here, they hold their forks in their left hands, upside down, with their knife in their right. After using their knife, they don't put it down. The hold it in their clenched fist, and lean over their plate.

One day they noticed how when I cut my food, I will put my fork in my left hand, and cut with my right, and then put the knife down, and switch my fork to my right hand to eat. They thought that was so weird.

Another thing they thought was weird!
Yesterday I went to serve myself some icecream. I decided that instead of dirtying another dish, I was just going to serve it in the mug that I was previously using to drink my water. The Brits in the kitchen looked at me very oddly. They asked me what I was doing, and I just looked at them and told them that I was serving myself some icecream.  They proceeded to ask me what I was going to do with it; if I was going to make a milkshake... apparently its BAD to serve yourself some icecream in a mug!! They thought I was crazy...

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are also very weird to them.  First off, they are called 'Cheese Toasties'... and second off, if they DO make them, they don't do it the way I do. See, first I butter my bread, and then I put the bread butter side down in a sarten and let it toast.... The first time I did that, one boy thought it was the worst thing to do; ever, but another told me that he had never thought about making them that way, and that it was a good idea... Here, they put their sandwich in the George Foreman grill and let it toast that way... I guess both are equally okay.


Basically - they just think us Americans are weird....
I also have trouble pronouncing the words 'Norwich' and 'Norfolk'... They always give me funny looks and giggle. I don't know why it's so hard to say them!!

Every Tuesday and Saturday UEA hosts a 'club night' in the LCR (Large Common Room. A Huge room for everything... that's where I saw Reel Big Fish).
Basically, it's just a huge dance party where students can buy cheap drinks. I have only been to two, because, COME ON!
EVERY Tues and Sat? Do these kids sleep?? By now, that's like... 12 LCR nights!! ...Crazy kidz...

At each event, there is some sort of 'fancy dress'.  Now, when I first heard about that, I was really excited. I thought to myself, Yes! FINALLY a place where I can wear this cute dress of mine!.....

WRONG...
Fancy Dress does means to dress up... but to dress up in some sort of costume according to whatever theme... I guess all my years playing dress up as a kid will soon come in handy!

This past Tuesday, the theme was 'Chav's and Emo's'.... I know what an emo is, but I had never heard of a chav.  Apparently, a Chav is sort of like what we would think of when we hear the 'Chola'..... Ya? Rigning any bells? Or... A white girl who dresses sorta gangster-like... English white trash?? You know. With the gaudy jewlery, the matching trackie, make-up so caked on you can't tell what their real skin looks like, big hoop earings...


I went as a Chav:

Notice the 'winged' eye makeup...the fake pearls...the hoops...the hair slicked into a high pony tail and hairsprayed down so that not one hair is sticking up...OH;and they don't smile either. So here is Ben and I - doing our best 'CHAV' impression.

Luke, Harry, and Lisa... They went as Emos; although, Emo's don't smile either... jeez Lisa...!

Me, Ben, and Mikayla.... much Happier Chavs!

(Yes - Mikayla and I are nerdy and we wear our earplugs... but where as others are losing their hearing, I'm not... When people ask and start to make fun of me, I just blame it on the fact that I have to because I'm a music major... truth of the matter is, unlike them, Mikayla and I won't have to ask over and over what someone is saying because we lost our hearing at some silly dance party, and we won't have to get hearing aids for a very very very long time)

Aw CUUTE!

...just three American Girls playing dress up :)

The flat around the dining table before LCR:

L-R;

Matt, Me, Mikayla, Lisa, Luke, Taylor, Ben, Anisha, Ruth

So just like the Cambridge trip, and the Windsor Castle trip, I went to go get my tickets for Oxford... But. They were sold out. :(
It's okay though. I've been there before... stayed in the dorms at Oxford....
so instead of spending £20 on transportation...

...I spend it on shoes. :)

Windsor Castle;

The oldest and largest castle in the world, still occupied today, by Her Majesty The Queen (you know, as a weekend get away!!), and to 150 others.

As Lisa and I were walking to the entrance of the castle, we noticed a lot of police and people just hanging around. She asked one of the police men what was going on, and it turned out that we were just in time to watch the changing of the guard!

Here Comes the Band!!!

Professor Rees would be horrified at their horn angles!

Some of these guys looked like they were 16. I'm not too sure that I would trust them to guard MY castle.. they might get scared and run away!

I would like everyone to notice the peanut butter and JAM sandwich in my right hand... delicious...

Behind me, and beyong that black gate, is a lovely courtyard. Past that holds some of the finest portraits and furniture that I've ever seen. Even Henry VIII armour is there... he's a BIG man!!

I don't have any pictures of the inside because we wern't allowed to take pictures...

If I could have moved this by myself, and managed to get it out of the castle and onto the coach, I would have. But alas, that was not possible - so here you are Dad: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I got you a [picture of a] bell from Windsor Castle!

St. George's Chapel - Henry VIII is buried here... the whole time I was at this Castle, I couldn't get that stupid song outa my head: "I'm Hen-e-ry the VIII I am! Hen-e-ry the VIII I am I am...!!!" ...rather annoying if you ask me...

I bought this rosary at the Chapel.... I think I'll keep it in my pocket... you know, in case I randomly have the urge to pray... RIGHT...NOW....

After the Castle, Lisa and I had about an hour and a half to walk around the city some.

MMmmm....!!

Lunch!

My 'beef burger' had a cucumber and this random sweet relish on it, but it was Oohhhh sooo good!!!

We found some guy selling flowers. He was selling these potted plants; 3 for 2pounds. Lisa and I each paid a pound, and we gave the third pot to our friend Mikayla. Now I have something pretty in my room!! (...besides ME, of course... ;-) hahah)

No But really - Dad; What kind of flowers are these? And full or partial sun?