A transcendent experience with cheese and bread

A couple of weeks ago, Sam and I went up to Brighton Beach, which is an area of Brooklyn which has a lot of native Russian speakers living there. I was having a blast--listening to Russian being spoken on the boardwalk, speaking to cashiers in Russian, and buying Ukrainian juice and candies.

[the ones on the right are my favorite.]

The highlight of that day, though, was going to the Georgian restaurant, and especially having the khachapuri. If you don't know what khachapuri is, it is a traditional Georgian dish which is essentially melted cheese in a bread boat.

And it is a revelation.

Seriously, every time we took a bite, it was like we were about to start weeping with joy. So. Good. DEFINITELY one of my top food experiences. If I am ever in Georgia, I'm guessing that the khachapuris there will be better, but then again, I'm not exactly sure. This one was so good. It changed all of our lives. You think I am exaggerating, but I am not.

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

There are some days and weeks when I wonder why I am an English major. I usually wonder this when am forced to analyze something I hate and write paper after paper for that class. Those are hard days.

And then there are classes that make it all worth it. These classes make the bad days disappear and I realize, "Yes. Yes! This is why I'm an English major!" 

My later British literature class with Professor Steve Walker is one of these classes. One of these amazing, inspiring, life-changing classes that make me rejoice in the beauty of language, ideas, and literature. It's a class that I'm excited to go to every day. It could be at eight o' clock and I'd still be excited to go to it. 

Really. 

The discussions Professor Walker conducts are incredible. I learn so much from him and from my fellow classmates. And I hope they're learning from me. I love how Professor Walker's words of advice: 

"I'm a dreamer," he says. "True love and high adventure. I say go for it." 

My roommates can attest to how much I love this class. I come home every day and just gush about how interesting and inspiring the ideas we discussed were. 

Like our discussion on Keats's "To Autumn." We talked about the movement in the poem, and how it moves from life to death, company to solitude, light to dark . . . but that the tone is not melancholy, because it talks about fulfillment. Autumn is a time of harvest and commencement. Yes, life is ending, but there is a story to be told. There is so much beauty to be found in a life well-lived.

Or our discussions and questions in Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn": How important is anticipation? Is the first kiss really the best kiss? Is the anticipation of the first kiss even better? How do we find joy in life knowing that, more often than not, our expectations will fall short of reality? How big should we dream? 

Or when we discussed Wordsworth's "We Are Seven" and talked about loss . . . and what is gained in loss. 

I don't know how well I'm expressing myself . . . but I hope that you at least get a taste of why I love this class so much. 

The questions of literature really do address the fundamental questions of life. They don't always have the answers, but they ask the questions so I can answer them myself. 

Literature helps me to live deliberately.  

Tying Up Loose Ends . . . Finally

Hello everyone!

So it's been almost three weeks since I've returned back to the states. And I've meant to post some pictures of some of my last adventures over in England. So . . . (take a deep breath as you prepare for a HUUUUUGE post) here goes!

Bath/Stourhead Gardens Trip:

The things I loved most about Bath were the connections to Jane Austen (Persuasion, anyone?) and the Roman Baths. I even tried some of the spring water. It was gross. No wonder Anne Elliot hated going to Bath if people tried to convince her that the Bath water was good for her.

The Bath Crescent

Drinking the Bath water (note the skepticism and revulsion on my face)

After Bath, we took a train to the small, idyllic town of Bruton, England. Bruton is the quintessential English town, with narrow alleyways, gardens spilling over walls, and graveyards steeped in history. It was an especially fun trip because Jen and Derek Bruton were with us. They really wanted to see the town, and the rest of us were so glad we were able to go along with them!

On stepping stones in England

After Bruton, we took cabs to Stourhead Gardens. Going to Stourhead was one of my favorite things that I did whilst in England. It was absolutely GORGEOUS. Every corner you turned, there was a new incredible sight to see. Case in point below:

Gorgeous-ness

Stourhead Gardens (specifically the Temple of Apollo) was also where Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth in the Kiera Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice. So of course we had to take pictures up there. Something neat happened when we were there, too: It had been raining all day while we were at Bath, but when we got to Stourhead Gardens, the sun was shining and it was warm enough to take out our jackets. So we were able to enjoy a lovely walk around the grounds. But when we got to the Temple of Apollo, it started raining again . . . which was PERFECT, because it is pouring in the movie when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth. Coincidence? I think not. :)

Waiting for Mr. Darcy

Also . . . Final Formal Hall! It was a masquerade, so I was singing "Masquerade" from Phantom of the Opera all night in my head. I had a great time socializing with my friends, and remembering the great times we've had together. The food was also really good. (They had steak! Happy Megan.)

On my last full day at Cambridge, I got the chance to go punting one last time with some friends. I went in the morning, which I had never done before. The river was quiet, since it was only two boats full of BYU students who were up that early. It was so peaceful to sit in the boat, hear the distant laughter of friends in the other boat, look at the sun glistening upon the water, and gaze at the ancient, majestic buildings that lined the river. It felt so normal . . . and I felt a part of it.

Oh! And I got to punt for a bit! Hurray! It would have been a tragedy if I had left Cambridge without actually punting.

After punting, I went to the Botanical Gardens with some friends. So fun. And so pretty. Some pictures are below:

Me with Newton's Apple Tree

Fountain. I like how the inner circle is chaotic with waves, but the outer circle is calm.

Cool Spider Monkey Tree from Chile. I want one.

Well . . . I'm back. Back at BYU (which I also love) and back to my mountains and family and friends that I never like to be away from for long. I love being home. It's a comforting feeling to know that I always have home and loved ones waiting for me. I know that they will always, always be there. I belong here.

But I also belonged at Cambridge. I miss it, and it's been harder to readjust than I thought it would be. On the plane home, I tried to do a "free thought association" about Cambridge; putting thoughts, quotes, and experiences together in an effort to capture it all before it slipped away, like soil through my fingers. It was impossible. There's just too much. But I'm so grateful that I kept a real journal while I was there, and that I wrote every day. I'm going to cherish that journal later on.

It's amazing to me how normal it all started to feel. Looking up at King's College Chapel was as normal for me as looking up at the "Y" (which I'm doing right now). My Cambridge experience made me realize how easily I adapt to my surroundings, and it helped me to gain confidence. But the best things I gained in Cambridge were the friends I made. I know that I'll cherish those relationships forever.

Cambridge made me want to travel more. I plan to go back to England. It's not even a question in my mind that I will. When? . . . I don't know yet. But I will.

I love Cambridge!

Signing out for now. Thanks for reading! :)

P.S. By the way . . . I'm trying to decide whether or not I should continue blogging while I'm at BYU. Would you be interested in hearing about the musings of an ice cream-loving, sunset watching, mountain climbing, busy BYU student? Let me know.

Not Quite the End

With my plane ride home about 11 hours away, can I just say that I absolutely loved my experience here?

Wow. What a journey.

I'll be doing a lot of reflecting on the plane . . . and probably a lot of sleeping. And I'll try to think of my favorite parts of this trip, or the funniest, etc. And if you see me around, ask me about this adventure. I'll have lots of stories to tell--many more stories than I posted here.

In fact, I still need to post a few more pictures and blog about a few more things. Think of it as the third Lord of the Rings where there are, like, 3 different possible endings (and the movie goes on and on and on and on [kind of like an 80s pop song that was recently redone by a television show about high school singing clubs, but now I'm just going off on tangents]). Don't get me wrong, I love the third Lord of the Rings. Anyway, I'm stopping now.

So I will post a bit more. About Bath, about Stourhead, about last night's formal and finishing my finals . . . and completing a summer term at CAMBRIDGE! It still blows my mind.

But there's no time to do it here.

I'm feeling nostalgic. It's weird to me that Cambridge has become normal, I guess. I'll miss looking out onto Bodley's Court and the River Cam while doing my homework. I'll miss seeing King's College Chapel every morning as I go to breakfast. I'll miss eating dinner with the BYU students.

But I'm excited to go home. Home-home. And I'm excited to see what next adventures will await me as I return to BYU this fall.

Life is pretty awesome, isn't it?