Sammie: I've seen everything, yet I've seen nothing at all.

Gosh this week was a roller coster of events! Stats was certainly challenging, but I'm coming to realize that I really like the fast pace, and I'm learning a bunch about working in groups. I'm also learning (as if I didn't know before) that there are so many GLSers that are smart cookies! The people I've worked with have worked together cohesively even under stress, and I feel like we are all learning the true meaning of group cooperation.

But now about London. LONDON. London is still amazing.

This week I have seen: Regent's Park, the Tower of London, Camden, the Borough Market, the Shard (coolest building ever), the British Library, the Magna Carta, the Crown Jewels, Platform 9 3/4, and Oxford University (which isn't in London, but is still extraordinary).

However, on Wednesday, Dr. Mee took us all on a lovely day outing to the British Library. On the way there, we stopped in a small building that contained a model of London on a 1:1500 scale.

Guys. London is huge. I've seen NOTHING. You see the red circles? That's where I've been so far. There is much to be done.

The British Library was extraordinary; I certainly want to return to see more. I wish I could give you a picture of the Magna Carta, but the document is so old (almost 800 years) that even camera flashes could damage it. When we saw the Tower of London, we also saw the Crown Jewels...which I was not allowed to photograph, either. *Sigh...* it looks like people just have to come to London to see these things for themselves. ;)

This weekend we all went on a day trip to Oxford, as well. It was gorgeous. It is the third-oldest university in the world, coming into being in the 1300s. Things are built to last here in Europe.

Can you imagine being privileged enough to study there? I learned that Bill Clinton was.

Dr. Mee and his wife, Cherol, also introduced us to a pub called the Eagle and Child near the campus, where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis used to drink and read their stories to one another. It was pretty humbling to walk where those great men walked. I keep using the word "extraordinary"...but there seems to be no other satisfactory word.

 There is much more to tell, but I'm afraid that I must get ready for bed. Full day of class tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers