Day 10 - summing up

A more relaxed day today, with a visit to the US Embassy and certificates this morning, and then a free afternoon to split into smaller groups for shopping, sports, museums or Harry Potter. It feels like a really long time ago that we were in Edinburgh, but at the same time, the trip has gone really really quickly.

Some bits that we've missed uploading over the week...
Our Gamelan session from City University yesterday, for those struggling to picture this bizarre Indonesian instrument:

Victoria Santorelli shares her experience of Oxford:

When I woke up today I was ready for another day filled with laughs and fun, and that’s exactly what it was and more. This morning we left London and made our way to Oxford for the day. I, along with the other girls, have been looking forward to going to Oxford so we could buy sweatshirts. Once we got there Kat, Julia and me went to get them while the rest of the group shopped also. While we were buying the sweatshirts the group had left to continue our day of activities, leaving us behind. Never did I think I would be left in Oxford. While Kat, Julia and me were LOST! we had our first experience using a telephone booth. That was an adventure in itself considering not one of us knew what we were doing. We had to ask a random person to help us. Everything worked out eventually, after calling our emergency contacts, once again we were reunited with the group!!

I did not think anything else could happen to me today but I was wrong. After the whole being lost incident we went punting. During lunch, while we ate, we saw people punting along the river and it looked fun so I was excited to go. On my boat was Julia, Jeanee, Fiona and myself. While everyone laid back and enjoyed the ride on the boat I was left in charge to punt. I didn’t mind, it couldn’t be that hard – but I was wrong. Punting a boat was one of the hardest things I’ve done before. After a while I finally got the hang of it and everything was going great until Johnny, another guy who was punting a boat, hit his boat into mine making me fall off the boat into the water. I was soaking wet, everything on me was smelly like lake water and had green moss on it. But hey, I didn’t let it bring me down. I got right back into the boat and continued to punt the boat to the end of the trail where everyone was waiting and laughing and taking pictures. It was priceless. There was no reason to get upset it happened, I fell in, I had to make the best of it. Johnny felt so bad and wanted to make it up to me sooo bad. While everyone went to continue their tour of Oxford, Kathy and Fiona took me to go get new clothes. Johnny also came with us and took us back to where he was staying so I could shower.

In the end it all worked out. I won’t forget my punting experience.

(It was honestly not as terrible as it sounds, everything's under control! - Alice)

And happier times for Victoria, being serenaded by the Broman Empire on her birthday:

Some of the group have written a little something about the trip as a whole:

Allie Stahlman

            My favourite activities that we did over the trip so far were first, on day one, the camera obscura. I thought it was really cool watching the people off the streets. My next favourite night was going bowling. It was really fun spending time with all of our friends doing something fun. Lastly I loved going on the London Eye.  I love heights and watching the city from up above was so cool. I really want to come back to the UK soon so I can bring my friends and family and show them the cool things I did.

Kathryn Grazioso            

            This trip was definitely an experience of a lifetime. There is no possible way I could pin point my favourite times of the week because every day was a different learning experience and adventure. Between facing my fear of Ferris Wheels by going on the London Eye, learning about new cultures and places, and spending the past 10 days with my all time favourite people in the world, the British Council helped me create memories I will never forget!

Julia Jones

            The ten days I spent in the U.K. were absolutely amazing. Everything from meeting with the Scottish Youth Parliament in Edinburgh to shopping on Oxford Street in London was incredible. I definitely enjoyed Edinburgh more than I thought I would (who knew the city would be so beautiful and interesting?!), and it was really great to experience a part of my heritage with which I don’t really identify myself. (Although I do think I could live without haggis.) The time we spent in London was also pretty cool. I’ve always wanted to travel to London and go sightseeing, so I’m really happy we were able to do that. Overall, these past 10 days have made my summer one I will never forget. I can’t wait to come back with my friends and family and experience the cities with different people. Thank you British Council!

Jeanee Lee

            This trip was eventful to say the least.  We got the opportunity to do so many things that most of us probably would not have known about or been able to do had we visited the UK on our own.  I got to do so many things, from sightseeing to visiting college campuses, all while meeting so many new friends.  While the weather was rough in Scotland, we still got to see the beautiful city.  London was an entirely different experience especially with the weather.  Overall, I had a really great experience and it created memories that I will never forget.

Max Arczynski

            This trip has changed me for the better in more ways then I can count. I have learned that the ugly American stereotype is not true, I have learned that when it comes to eating fish and chips leave it to the British and I have learned when it comes to convincing counsellors to go clubbing there is no chance of it happening. The most important lesson I have learned is “do not judge a book by its cover” because your opinion might be wrong. This has come true with the people of this camp because you would of never guessed their history. Thanks a million everyone who has made this trip possible and a special thanks to the counsellors of this trip.      

Jimmy Vigiano

This trip has changed my life for the better. All of the monuments and attractions made it interesting and fun. The chaperones were great, they did an amazing job and kept the trip fun even during the not so great parts like walking around, and the cab rides. The have the complete respect of me and everyone else on the trip if I had to say so, they were great.  

Keithroy Maynard

This trip was a life experience. My favorite day was when we went on the London Eye which showed an amazing view of London

Austin Vukosa

This trip to the UK has been an amazing experience because of the academic influence and friends that I have made.

Chris Gardner

            Alice is very tired, so I’ll just say I had an amazing ten days and I’d like to thank everyone for all they’ve done for us. I won’t forget it and neither will anyone else.

Thanks Chris. I am tired, and so is everyone else, but in a good way. We have an early start for the airport tomorrow, so the rest of the group will be sharing their thoughts with Jenn at the airport and on the flight, to be updated tomorrow night when we're getting to sleep at a reasonable hour and missing everyone.

Day 9 - riding the tube

Our first ride on the London Underground.

After a great day at Oxford yesterday we were all looking forward to our second full day in London. First up was a visit to City University, 1 of 40 of London’s universities. They welcomed us there with some examples of the many subjects they have to offer. We had a chance to play the Gamelan, an Indonesian instrument used for ceremonies and story telling. We each had an important role to play in the Gamelan and Kyler and Chris W led us on the gong. After creating some interesting music we moved on to sample the next subject. The group got to visit a recording studio that students use to practice creating news reports. Brandon made a particularly good weather man and was a natural in front of the camera. Ava also enjoyed the chance of being a news reader, but couldn’t quite control her laughter whilst reading from the autocue. The session in London ended with the groups being challenged to a quiz to see how well they knew London. There was a bonus point up for grabs for the most creative team name, my personal favourite was Kat, Ava and Meagan’s group name ‘Rhys’s Pieces’. [Editor's Note: Rhys has failed to document that, after a gripping tie-breaker situation, the victors were Mike and Alice (Team John D'Allara) - hooray! The prize was conceded to Rhys's Pieces as it was felt that English Alice had a slightly unfair advantage.]

Then came the moment that many had been waiting for, a trip on the London Underground or ‘the tube’. We travelled from the University down to the Oval on the very warm underground rail system. Since arriving in London a few days ago this had been one of the most talked about events! After all the excitement of the tube we had a delicious dinner in Pizza Express and then made our way over to the Oval cricket ground to see Kent versus Surrey. This was the first ever cricket match for most of us but that didn’t hamper our excitement, once we all got the hang of the rules we cheered for the teams – some of us (Chloe) even waved our supporters flags very enthusiastically. After Kent won the match we made our way home once again on the underground. Another great day had by all.

- Rhys

More photos have been added to the London and Oxford collection, and to view our fab British Council photographer Frank's pictures, click here.

Day 8 - Potter, Punting and Pizza

When I was a little kid, The Parent Trap was one of my favorite movies. After seeing a sophisticated Natasha Richardson walk into an elegant penthouse in London, I’ve always wanted to visit the city. Since then, I’ve associated it with Prince William, cars with steering wheels on the wrong side, and Big Ben. This is the first time I’ve been to London and since I’ve matured quite a bit since the time I was 6, I’m now realizing that this city has a lot more to offer than Prince William’s handsome face.

            Yesterday was our first day in London and it consisted of lots and lots of sightseeing. We started the day off with a typical double-decker bus tour around the city. In New York City, I try to avoid these types of things whenever I can (much too touristy for me), but I enjoyed myself on this ride. We got on the bus a little after 10am, and got off at the Buckingham Palace stop shortly after noon. In these two hours, we saw many of the typical sites one would see in London, including the London Bridge, the Houses of Lords and Commons, and Big Ben, along with many of the smaller and more random streets and buildings that make up the city. The Bridge was probably my favorite – it is painted in two majestic colors of blue and is much more grand than I previously realized. Big Ben was also pretty cool, except it’s a lot smaller than it looks in pictures. Then we were at the palace. It really is a beautiful place, but the amount of people milling around outside kind of ruined the effect of it all. Buckingham Palace was amazing, nonetheless. After lunch in the park and a stop at Trafalgar Square, the rest of the day went by pretty quickly. After a waterside dinner, we got ready for a trip on the famed London Eye. Some of us were nervous about how high the ferris wheel would go, but the breathtaking views of London proved to be more powerful than a fear of heights. We took lots of crazy pictures and at the halfway point, Erin broke out her iPod and everyone started dancing. After our trip on the Eye, there was nothing else planned; so to top off such a fun day, everyone got tickets to see Bridesmaids, which was probably the funniest movie I’ve seen in a while. It ended pretty late and by the time we got back to the hotel, everyone was exhausted.

            The next day (Wednesday), started off quite early. Around 9:30am, we boarded a coach bus for an hour and a half ride to Oxford. From what we were able to see of Oxford the town is exactly how I’ve always pictured an English town to look – cute and quaint with lots of cute boys and streets lined with little clothing shops. What we were able to see of Oxford University was absolutely incredible. Set up a lot like NYU, the college is spread throughout the town, and everywhere you look there are gorgeous buildings that have been around since the 1200s. The best part of it all was that we got to see parts of where Harry Potter was filmed! We spent most of the day at the school, taking short breaks only to eat lunch and go punting, which is basically like taking a gondola ride in Venice. After the day’s activities were done, we ate dinner in one of Oxford’s main dining halls, the exact one, in fact, in which Harry Potter modeled its own dining hall after. It was a little bit eerie to be eating in a place that looks so familiar to some of my most beloved films. After a meal of turkey, potatoes, and carrots, we got back on the bus and came home to London.

            Overall, I’m enjoying London as much, if not more, than I thought I would. Being here reminds me of being in the confusing streets of the West Village in New York, which I actually really like. I’m so so so happy to finally be visiting a part of the world that I’ve always wanted to see and I absolutely cannot wait for the next two days!

-Julia J. Jones

Day 7 - London: by land, sea and air

After an early start, we hopped aboard Big Bus Tours. We had a whirlwind tour of the city, catching all the major sights: Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, St Stephen's Tower (which is commonly mistaken for Big Ben, however, we learned that Big Ben is actually the giant bell inside it). A valiant effort was made to catch the Changing of the Guard, but we did not succeed. However, in a fortunate turn of events, we happened to catch a Royal procession leaving the palace. Rumour had it that it was possibly the King of Nigeria (others chose to believe it was Will and Kate). 

After that we walked through to Picadilly and bought a picnic, to eat in St James's Park, followed by more touring of Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. We walked down past the Household Cavalry Museum, which caused some excitement over the horses, and passed the Prime Minister's house in Downing Street.

We then made our way down towards the Tower of London, hopping aboard a sightseeing cruise on the river Thames. Lovely views were had of Tower Bridge, Parliament, and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

By then, everyone was ready for dinner, followed by a delightful ride on London's newest favourite attraction: the London Eye. We were joined for this by Max's lovely sister Jessica. Some fears were conquered, some anxiety overcome, and many many photos taken. 

Although the day was eventful, everyone was in high spirits, so we decided to take in a movie: Transformers or Bridesmaids. After the movies, we all returned home exhausted, preparing to get ready for our jam-packed day in Oxford tomorrow.

It's very late here, so pictures will follow - we promise! - tomorrow, along with more from the group who are currently sleeping.

- Jenn and Alice

Day 6 - birthday fun!

This is a birthday I won’t forget. Today is my 17^th birthday and who would of thought I would be celebrating it in the UK with all my 9-11 friends. I had so much fun. This morning it was time to leave Scotland and head on to London. On the way to London we made a stop at the Alnwick Castle. At this castle Harry Potter was filmed. For me I found that really interesting since I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have seen every movie and cant wait to the July 15 when the next one comes out. Along with Harry Potter being filmed there I learned that a family owned the entire estate. When the lady at the castle told us this I was amazed. I couldn’t believe that the castle was someone’s home. The family did not even live there all year long. It was only a winter home.

While at the castle we celebrated my birthday. It’s an America’s Camp tradition to have a throwing of the cake for the person whose birthday it is. So while we were at the castle, Mike literally threw a cake at me while all the other kids gathered around and made a wall. The tradition is to throw the cake with it not in a box and make a mess but since we had to go back on the bus we kept it in the box. Everyone counted down and then the next thing I knew the cake was airborne and I caught it so it was good luck. The counsellors all got me a picture frame. Everyone was really great. I couldn’t of asked for a better birthday. Oh and how can I forget to top it off at dinner tonight when we finally got to London after our never ending bus ride the BROMAN EMPIRE sang happy birthday to me. This is definitely a birthday I will remember forever.

                                                                                        -Victoria Santorelli J

Day 5- Storming the Castle

It was really nice to have a later start these past two days. After breakfast we walked to The National Museum of Scotland, which was filled with many fun and interesting exhibits. Next, we walked the Royal Mile where we shopped for souvenirs. The girls went to a lot of cute boutiques like "Cookie," we had so much fun even if we were only window shopping! We also walked around Edinburgh castle later in the day. We walked so much today, but it was all worth it because we've gotten to see so many great sights in Edinburgh!
- Erin :)

Today was a really nice day because it was pretty calm. We went to the Edinburgh castle and there were a lot of interesting sites to see. It was awesome to see the crown and to be at the top of the castle and look down on the city, it was beautiful. There was a lot of walking so my feet kind of hurt but it was very fun, so I don't care as much :). Our time in Edinburgh has been amazing. I never thought I would get to experience something like this in my life, and i can't believe I am. I wish we got to see more of Scotland but the parts we have seen have been awesome. I can't wait to experience London now!
- Sammi

Today we went to Edinburgh castle and we saw many exhibits. One exhibit that stood out the most to me was in the basement there was an exhibit called "David's tower" and in the description of the exhibits it stated that the royal crown was buried under a medieval toilet to protect it during a war. I thought this was interesting. Today was overall a good day.
-Jimmy V

Finally, some videos from the Scottish Youth Theatre workshops yesterday: groups worked on finding words that described different aspects of Scotland, then each group had to pick 4 words, and put together actions to express them. Some may be clearer than others, but you'll definitely notice "cold" featuring heavily. (Jon the photographer is a little too prominent in all the videos - but at least this means there'll be some great photos at the end of the project.)

Group 1:

Group 2:

Group 3:

Group 4:

Day 4 - Our Scotland

Today was a good day. The weather was surprisingly sunny, allowing for a fun- filled morning of outdoor activities with the Scottish Youth Theatre. We had a great time doing acting warm- ups and exercises with people our age. There were even a few dance battles, which made me extremely happy. Everyone really enjoyed acting silly. My personal favorite moment from this morning's session with SYT would have to be when the Broman Empire (Kyler, Brandon & Chris W. with Billy filling in for Henry) burst into a Scotland- themed version of 'This Land Is Your Land'. I was sad to see our new Scottish friends leave, especially my pal Scott who pointed me in the direction of the cafe where J.K. Rowling began writing the Harry Potter series. Corey and Rosie stayed to eat lunch with us and turned us on to a drink called Iron Brew which we experimented with in the afternoon.

After lunch, we had a bit of free time to get our things together before walking to Parliament and Holyrood Palace. We thankfully made it to Parliament before the rain started. The tour of Scottish Parliament focused on the contemporary architecture of the huge complex. We were all happy to take a break in the cafe after the tour had ended. It was here that many of us sampled Iron Brew and the weird flavors of chips that are carried in Europe. Meagan immediately felt the effects of the sugary drink, proceeding to engage in behavior that she normally makes fun of me for (By this I mean that she could not stop moving and speaking fast. Her eyes were really wide too HAHA). When we were done, we ran across the street in the pouring rain to tour Holyrood Palace. Most people were hyper because of the Iron Brew, which made for a pretty funny touring experience.

Holyrood Palace was stunning. My walking group (Kathryn, Suzann, Chris G., Max & Kayla) loved the history of the palace, especially the morbid story of how someone was murdered in Mary Queen of Scots' chambers. Due to the heavy rain, our whole group met back up in the gift shop to wait for taxis to arrive and take us back to campus. People bought some interesting items... but I'll leave that for you to find out when we get home. From the palace, we rode back to campus to get ready for a fun night out.

For dinner we went to Pizza Hut. I had the pleasure of eating with Chris G., Jimmy & Ryan. I enjoyed talking with them... when they weren't making fun of my germaphobic tendencies. We then walked over to the bowling alley. The lanes weren't ready yet, so everyone enjoyed a little time in the arcade. I embarrassed myself by playing Dance Dance Revolution in rain boots. Dancing was the theme of the day because we continued to do it through the night. I had more fun dancing than I did actually bowling, which might explain why I did poorly even with the bumpers up. We got a lot of stares from the other people at the bowling alley, but it was the perfect ending to the best day of the trip thus far. I danced with Sam, laughed a lot with Keithroy, bonded with Julia C., and watched Kyler act like Gerard Butler. I love my friends and I love the experiences that this trip has provided me with so far. I can't wait for tomorrow to come so that I can take more pictures!

Ava

P.S. Love ya Mom!

Photos to follow - technical difficulties! Sorry!