So…. Quick update on the past few days.
Sunday- A larger group of us went to church and the orchestra played. AHHH it was so beautiful! At the end of the service they did a traditional hymn, and by the end of the piece, every instrument had crescendo-ed to full blast, including the gorgeous organ, and the sanctuary itself seemed to be singing with the music. I know I over-use this word, but it was truly awesome.
That night a group of us went out to explore the Chinese New Year celebrations, but we got there a little late for most of the exciting events. It was rainy, and VERY CROWDED. I got a littttttle claustrophobic smashied into a big mass of people in which there was no escape. However, the decorations in Chinatown were SUWEEEEEEET and the fireworks that ended the celebrations were also pretty sweet.
Monday- During the day I had the flat to MYSELF!!!! Yippppeee! I got up early and started laundry…. Ugh our washer takes 3 hours on one load, and it is about half the size of our washers in the States, so no matter how much laundry you have, it is a full day event. I took the morning to myself and then Linda and I went on an adventure to Battersea to visit the giant animal shelter there. Battersea Dog Home has been around since 1860!! It was started by a woman named Mary Tealby in North London, and since then has been written about by Charles Dickens and has had a documentary film series released on BBC. It is home to over 300 dogs, and also houses cats, although not nearly as many.
Well, Linda and I are kindred spirits when it comes to animals, and therefore we were both heartbroken by the sad faces staring at us through the bars. So so so many pit bulls…..I know that in the States our shelters are full of pit bulls, but I was a little surprised the same rang true for here. I have seen many more pit bulls on the streets with owners than in the U.S., so I guess I figured they were more accepted here.
While I cried over the dear sweet souls that were separated from love by steel bars and antibacterial lotion, I was so impressed with the state that the animals were kept in. So many of our shelters in the U.S. are run down, or cramped for space. The dogs had so much space! Each had a bed, and toys as well. The stalls were immaculately clean, and the dogs all looked well cared for and for the most part healthy. There were funny signs on some of the cages, too, that really gave the dogs personality. One sign read “I spread my food all over the floor on purpose, it keeps me occupied.” Another touched my heart with the words, “Please don’t be mad if I am slow in responding to you, I am deaf.”
On our way down the halls we ran into a volunteer who was walking a sweet little doggie named Bruno. She let us love on him (you are not supposed to touch any of the dogs in the kennels because of the spread of parvo, kennel cough and other diseases) and told us about the volunteers. To be a volunteer there you have to commit to six months with six weeks of training. There were so many volunteers around, and their job was literally just to love the animals so that they would not get depressed, or go “kennel crazy.”
After that we went to TopShop and looked around. Oh. My. Gosh. So overwhelming, but on the opposite end of the spectrum than Primark. There was a nail salon, two restaurants, a bingo area, and TONS of designer clothes spread across four floors of glitzy poshness.
We ate dinner at this little pub called the Camel and Artichoke that was down in Waterloo close to the theatre where we were going to see Six Degrees of Separation. It was a little off the beaten path and definitely local. We loved the atmosphere and food, and then spent the next hour and a half talking about life. It made me realize how much I love long dinners where you don’t focus so much on the food but the company.
The show was GREAT. It was a blend of comedy and drama, commenting on racial issues, social classes, and greed. It was an entertaining night that was a great ending to my day.
Today has been full of class and homework. Hmph. Oh well, I can’t really complain because I AM in London!
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