From Curry to Camden

      So the past few says have been busy, but fun.  There has also been very limited Internet because our wireless has been up and down, so I have a lot to catch up on.  Thursday was basically a school day all day long.  My first class was a 9AM and my last class was out at 4:30PM.  However, once done with class we had a yummy dinner.  After dinner Abby, Kristen, and I walked to Primark/the grocery store and back.  When I got back I made a DC for Kacey because she didn't feel well.  Then a bunch of us watched "What A Girl Wants" and Abs had a sleepover in my bed.  

     Friday was an interesting day.  We got to sleep in a little as we weren't leaving for Southall until 11AM.  We went to Southall for both our Religion and Culture class.  Let's just say I might as well have gone to India.  It felt so foreign.  We went to a Sikh Temple where we were to observe their holy scripture for 20 minutes while sitting cross legged on the floor and wearing scarves around our heads.  The observing was actually very interesting, but on the way out we had to eat a clump of  this brown goo stuff (made of flour, water, butter, and sugar) that was so gross, yet it would be considered rude not to eat.  The texture was awful and I struggled to choke it down while being reverent at the same time.  We then went into their dining area where a free set meal is served all day long to anyone.  The idea of this is cool considering it is a universal practice and many are fed by it, but lets just say I might rather starve.  The pictures should tell quite enough, but I will add that any food not eaten is dumped right back into the serving dish and re-served.  All of the Sikhs were very nice though and it was interesting to observe their culture and religion.  We then left the Sikh Temple and went to two other Hindu Temples.  These were both as interesting, but hard to take seriously.  I kind of felt like I was at Disneyland India with the bright colors, dolls, and music.  Once we were done observing the temples, we had free time to roam Southall.  A group of us got Henna, I got some sweet glasses, and then we killed time by doing Henna inside Mcdonalds (which even served Indian styles of food aka curry).  We then had dinner with everyone at an Indian Restaurant that was actually pretty good.  Mary-Celeste added to the night by wearing her traditional Hindu Robe and Head Sash.  I actually found it a little ironic to be in Southall on September 11th.  However, I figured it was probably one of the safer places to be until I remembered that every Sikh wears a knife on them at all times. 

     We safely left from dinner to go straight to see Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.  I knew this would be fun, but it was even better than I expected.  It was a theater-in-the -round setup and the scenery was projected on the walls of the tent.  The coolest part was when the cast flew over London because with the projections, it was like a virtual flight over the story.  The cast was very good and Captain Hook was played by Jonathan Hyde (also in Titanic and the hunter in Jumanji).  We walked back (considering it was just in the park), and then Kacey and I had a sleepover in my bed.
     Saturday was a beautiful sunny day in London.  Kace and I went running all the way across Hyde Park and past the lake.  We came home had did our laundry/showered before going to Camden Market with Abby, Kristen, Annie, and Mandi.   Camden was really fun and I was happy to replace my Rayban Sunglasses.  We came back and took afternoon naps before going to Whitley's for dinner/groceries.  Worn out and not wanting to face the craziness of the weekend combined with the closure of most tube lines, we just hung out at the Center and even did a little homework. 

     Sundays here are great because I get to sleep in until about 9AM and then leave for church around 9:30.  My ward is about an hour away in a small town called Clapham.  All of the people there are really nice and I had fun being with the Young Women.  Their imitations of American girl voices and handwriting are very entertaining.  After church I came home and wrote letters to David, Max, and Jeff, then did a little homework before dinner.  I'm now about to go walk in the park (a favorite past time of mine) and then probably do some more homework.  I must say...London is treating me well.