You know the sunlight always shines behind the clouds of London skies.

There is so much to tell, and so little space in which to do so.

I love it here. I wish I had a more concrete way of describing how I feel about this place; I wish that I could bring you all here to experience it alongside me; I wish that I could encapsulate in a photograph the array of emotions that I feel from being here.

But all I really have are words. And as much as I enjoy writing, I would really appreciate a teleportation device right about now. Words just aren't enough.

We started classes on Monday, and I am thrilled with both my courses and my schedule. For those of you who are interested, this is my timetable: 


Monday, 1500-1600: Children's Literature lecture
Monday, 1600-1700: Children's Literature seminar
Reading list: Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, The Treasure Seekers, Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden, Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Coram Boy


Tuesday, 1200-1400: 19^th Century English Novel lecture
Tuesday, 1600-1700: 19^th Century English Novel seminar
Reading list: Mary Barton, Villette, Adam Bede, Great Expectations, Tess of the d'Urbervilles 


Wednesday, 0900-1100: Shakespeare: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Reading list: Merchant of Venice, Richard III, King Lear


Wednesday, 1400-1500: British Life & Culture seminar
Wednesday, 1500-1700: British Life & Culture lecture
Trip list: Brighton, Parliament & the Globe, National Theatre (to see London Assurance), Oxford, Stonehenge & Bath


If you're confused by the distinction between a "lecture" and a "seminar," just stop thinking so hard about it. The lecture is the main part of the class that may have anywhere between 40 and 100 students. The seminar, then, breaks us all into much smaller groups of about 20-25. It is here that we do discussions, turn in assignments, and get specialized help with the module. So far, I really like my teachers and have found them to be interesting, encouraging, and approachable.

I have so much to tell you about everything else I've been doing, but hopefully you've been following my adventures through my photos on Facebook or Flickr. This weekend (as in Saturday and Sunday) is sure to be eventful and full of pictures. On Saturday, we are going into Central (Central London, aka: what you all think of as London, with Parliament, the Eye, etc.) for a school-sponsored photo scavenger hunt around the city. Then, on Sunday evening, a few of my friends and I are going to ST. MARY'S (the mothership of my church back home) and then to a local pub to watch, of course, Superbowl XXXXIV. That's right: just because we're in another country doesn't mean we've completely forgotten our roots. Krista and Katie are big Colts fans, so I'll be adopting their Indianapolis devotion for the evening as well (seeing as how I don't have a real preference between the Colts and the Saints). 

Love,
lvp

P.S. The song doesn't lie: the sky is the most beautiful I've ever seen.