London!

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London was a perfect break from Belgium. Not only did I get to spend time with a friend from home, but I spent time with Gennie's family, and got to freely speak English! What more can you ask for?

I traveled to London on Friday night and had a delicious salmon dinner awaiting me. Gennie spent the weekend visiting her dad in France so Friday night Suzie, Stephen, Max, and I crammed onto the couch in their home in Islington and watched an authentic British late night show (something like the equivalent of Jay Leno).

The weather was sunny and clear on Saturday morning and the four of us went for a nice run at the local park. We enjoyed a lazy morning together before Suzie dropped me off for a visit with Megan, a childhood friend studying in London. The two of us had a fun day walking around Hyde Park, exploring the city, and attempting to buy day-of tickets to Les Misérables (unfortunately without success). Everyone was out in the beautiful sunny weather and we became mesmerized by a group of roller skaters who were dancing to music. We then met Megan's friend from Ireland and we had a delicious meal at a local Indian restaurant.

I should probably note here that throughout Saturday I gradually lost my voice... entirely. I initially blamed it on London's horrific pollution, but then a sore throat hit Monday night dismissing that theory. Needless to say, Sunday morning I woke up with my communication severely compromised. Normally, the inability to speak may have been a slight challenge- but not altogether debilitating. However, on this particular Sunday I had plans of participating in my first English brunch with Gennie's family. Gennie's immediate family would have been one thing, but the entire clan of five cousins and an aunt and uncle were included. Fortunately, the family was gracious and we did the best we could to communicate with my awkward hand gestures and unpleasant whispers.

Monday morning out of pure necessity I took a jaunt to the local pharmacy. After attempting to ask for cough drops the lady behind the counter said with wide eyes, "oh no, you need this."She held up a small red box with the word VOCALZONE written in bold white letters. Whatever this disgusting little throat lozenger was, it worked. It dissolved in the back of my throat for a good 20 minutes as I followed the directions to inhale deeply throughout the process. Thankfully, I had a hoarse voice by the end of the therapy, and I was ready to jump on the tube and spend one more day with Megan exploring London.

We had a great time wandering throughout the British Museum. We saw the Rosetta Stone and other famous sculptures and pieces of artwork. We then went to the British Library where we saw an incredible exhibit that included the Magna Carta, some of Shakespeare's and Jane Austin's original writings, the piece of paper that the lyrics to Yesterday was scribbled on by Paul McCartney himself, and many other presevered documents for the public to admire. By then it was time for me to say goodbye to London and hop on the 2 hour train to go back to Belgium. It was a wonderful weekend!