Day 41: Happy Jubilee!

I was not feeling 100% today health wise, unfortunately, but I still got to do a lot of fun things!  I had British Literature in the morning where we discussed the book we're reading, Mrs. Dalloway.  I didn't really love it until we discussed it and I learned more about it.  Now I really appreciate the book and the perspective I gain from it!  I have been that way with a lot of things here.  I don't really like something until I learn about it and then I grow to appreciate it.  Knowledge leads to understanding!


I slept through most of the afternoon to try and get feeling better but woke up to recite a memorized sonnet for an assignment.  I chose to memorize William Wordworth's "The world is too much with us."  I really identified with this sonnet when we were in the Lake District and chose to memorize it for this reason.  It goes like this:


The world is too much with us, late and soon.
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.
Little we see in nature that is ours.  
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon.
This sea that bares her bosom to the moon.
The wind that will be howling at all hours,
And are upgathered now like sleeping flowers.
For this, for everything, we are out of tune.
It moves us not.-- Great God!  I'd rather be
A paegan suckled in a creed outworn,
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn,
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea,
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.


I think this is a sonnet that will stay with me for a long time.


At night, a group of students went to the Coldplay concert.  For those of us who didn't buy tickets, we went to watch the Queen's Jubilee concert instead!  A giant stage was built in front of Buckingham Palace and 10,000 British residents were given tickets.  Everyone else lined the street leading up to the palace and filled both St. James and Hyde Park to watch it on big TV screens.  I went to Hyde Park with some friends from the group to watch it.  It was a fun environment!  It was about 50 degrees so we were bundled up really well.  It will probably be a shock for me to come back to Utah and warm weather.

(the screens we watched the concert on)

(The group!  Chris, Alissa, Lauren fine, Kennedy, Cree, myself, Amanda, Whitney, and Kaylie)

(Jared, myself, and Whitney excited for the concert)

There were performances by Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Madness, Ed Sheeran (a new favorite of mine) and Will.i.am.  It was interesting to see the very popular American songs that the Brits didn't know and to feel out of place with the very popular British songs that we didn't know.  My favorite part was when the song "Sing" was performed by people from all over the British Commonwealth.  "Sing" is a song written by Lord Lloyd-Weber specifically for the Jubilee.  We watched a documentary about it on BBC and all almost cried when we watched it.  The show ended with a gigantic fireworks show and a beacon lighted by the Queen!  There couldn't have been a better way to end the day than celebrating.  Prince Phillip (The Queen's 90 year old husband) is in the hospital unfortunately and so he was missed at the concert.  Prince Charles (her son) gave a speech about his mum.  At the end of the speech they did three cheers for the Queen.  After each "hip, hip" I wanted to shout "HORRAH" at the top of my lungs!  I felt British pride and I'm American!  I can see why they love the Queen so much.  If anything, all of these Jubilee events have made me VERY excited for Independence Day.  I truly love America and I can't wait to get home and celebrate that love that I feel!


P.S. News to me- Justin Bieber has two new singles out!  Ashley- you are supposed to tell me these things!  In case you want to listen to them they're Die in your Arms and All Around the World.